The Blessing of Thanksgiving

Did you know that Abraham Lincoln instituted Thanksgiving as a national holiday?  Did you know that Thanksgiving was first observed as an official holiday in 1863, right in the middle of the Civil War?  It seems that while the country was in the midst of a horrible dividing conflict, a wise president had the insight to institute a holiday that encouraged people to remember all they had to be thankful for, something that may have been very hard at the time.

President Lincoln couldn't possibly have known what modern studies show, that feeling gratitude actually helps us feel better.  One particular study showed that writing daily gratitude in a journal made a difference in both emotional and physical well being, something that would have made a big difference in the middle of a national crisis.

I have found that while gratitude doesn't change anything, it actually changes everything.  Being grateful doesn't change your circumstances, but it changes how you feel in your circumstances.  It makes you more positive, happy and content.  This ultimately can help you change your circumstances.

At this time we are going through a somewhat different kind of national crisis than in Abraham Lincoln's time, a crisis that hurts my heart from all sides.  In addition, many people in our nation are suffering from personal hardships of their own.  A wise man once said that if you treat those you interact with as if they were in serious trouble, you will be right more than half the time.  Many go through unseen trials, invisible to the public eye.  Abraham Lincoln was onto something valuable when he proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving.

As with any gift, the amount of benefit you get depends entirely on you.  This Thanksgiving you may choose to enjoy the day off, and eat delicious foods prepared by you or others...... or you may take it a step further and add listing those things you are thankful for......... or you make take the opportunity to start a journal of daily things you are grateful for, considering the ways your life is blessed.  You may even choose to give thanks to your Higher Power for the good things in your life. 

Thanksgiving itself is a gift, an opportunity to think about and contemplate the good things in life.  May each of us use that gift to the extent we choose, and may we each see the many good things our life in this country contains.