If you are like me, Thanksgiving is a much loved—and very favorite—holiday. But don’t wait exclusively for November 27th before you focus on the blessings in your lives or to give thanks for the abundance God has bestowed on you and your loved ones.
I opened up my computer the other morning and saw an interesting article about yet another scientific study detailing how giving thanks is beneficial to healthy living. What a shocker! And yet, a lot of people still don’t seem to think this simple little practice can make a world of difference in their lives.
A
few years ago, I felt so strongly about the encroachment of commercialism on
Black Friday versus what I called Bright Thanksgiving Thursday, that I penned a
couple of pages about my feelings in the monthly Nichols Family Newsletter I
wrote for my kids over a ten-year period.
It was November 2011.
I
told them scientists have set out statistics for what many religions—including
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—have taught for years: Gratitude is good for both the body and the
mind.
Dr.
Robert Emmons of the University of California-Davis has done a lot of research
and writing about this subject, so I quoted to my children some of the
interesting findings he had made. Dr. Emmons reported that over a ten-week
period, the people in his study who wrote down five things they were grateful
for were 25 per cent happier than the people who wrote down five hassles they
had had during the week. He wrote that
gratitude can in fact actually have the greatest impact during crisis
conditions. “In the face of demoralization, gratitude has
the power to energize. In the face of
brokenness, gratitude has the power to heal.
In the face of despair, gratitude has the power to bring hope…. Gratitude provides a perspective by which we
can view life in its entirety and not be overwhelmed by temporary
circumstances.”
Dr.
Emmons went on to say that grateful people don’t deny or ignore the negative
aspects of life. Their continued
awareness of problems in their lives brought positive action to make things
better. Hence, they were happier people
in spite of challenges.
Former General Relief Society President Bonnie Parkin of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints told in a General Conference talk a few years ago about a family who had suffered some hardship. But they wanted to maintain a positive outlook. Every day at their dinner table they each shared something good that had happened to them, something they were thankful for that day. Soon their “blessings basket” was overflowing.
I
liked the simplicity of this family’s intent to still be thankful for what they
had.
That
year for Christmas I purchased a basket for each of my children’s families and
filled it full of little tablets and pencils along with a copy of the story
Sister Parkin had shared. I suggested
that they might want to hang the basket so it was convenient for each person to
write a sentence or two—or draw a picture—on a regular basis about a blessing
or something they were thankful for.
Then set aside a regular time to share with the rest of the family all
the wonderful bounties they were receiving.
I’m almost sure you have already read/heard about ways to focus on gratitude. But I thought I would include the short list Dr. Emmons published. It might have some ideas you hadn’t already thought about.
1. **KEEP A GRATITUDE JOURNAL
2. **REMEMBER HOW FAR YOU HAVE COME FROM A
BAD SITUATION
3.**ASK YOURSELF THREE QUESTIONS:
“What
have I received?” “What have I given?”
and “What troubles and difficulty have I caused?”
4. **LEARN TO OFFER PRAYERS OF GRATITUDE
5. **COME TO YOUR SENSES.
Through our senses—the ability to
touch, see, smell, taste, and hear—we gain an appreciation of what it means to
be human.
6. **GO THROUGH THE MOTIONS
Grateful motions include smiling,
saying thank you, and writing letters of gratitude.
Do it now. Do it every day. Doing that will make you happy. I know!
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