“Give thanks to God no matter what circumstances you find yourself in.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18a)
Can I be completely honest with you? Canadian Thanksgiving is coming on Monday, and while I am relieved and grateful for a long weekend . . . today I’m not feeling it. Holidays are supposed to bring warm fuzzy feelings, but sometimes we’re just too tired or frazzled or upset or sad to get in the spirit.
I’m not all of those things, although I’ve had a busy couple of weeks with frustratingly long hours of homework. My creative soul feels stifled. My to-do list doesn’t seem to be getting any shorter.
But that’s just it–thankfulness is not about feelings. In this social media age where all we see are the highlight reels of people’s lives, it’s easy to think everyone else is so much happier than we are. Yet neither life nor emotions are static; they’re constantly changing like the seasons. And the truth is that if I can find reasons to complain, I can find at least as many reasons to rejoice.
To remind myself, here’s a brief list. (Perhaps it will remind you, too, of the good things in life.)
***
I have a wonderful, fun, supportive family who loves me.
I have friends checking in on me and praying for me.
I get to walk to school each day, enjoying the crisp air of autumn mornings.
I can still make money at my job despite going to school full-time.
There’s a stack of good books on my desk almost two feet high, all waiting to be read.
I’ve been in college only six weeks, and already I understand how to make an income statement, what factors change supply and demand, how to write memos, how to calculate equivalent payments of compound interest, all kinds of things that Microsoft Word can do, and how business is all about creating value for customers.
I have an amazing church that makes every Sunday morning feel like coming home.
I’m healthy.
I have opportunities every day to laugh.
Great movies are a thing.
So is good music, such as:
I haven’t run out of things to write about, and after a week of no writing, Snow White is waiting for me to pen the next part of her adventure.
I get to connect with faraway friends through the internet and snail mail.
The sun rises.
Seeing the full moon shining over the harvested fields makes me want to shut my car headlights off and stare for a while.
Watercolor pencils are magical.
So is pumpkin pie.
Dreams aren’t out of reach–I’m on my way, and you know, the days of small beginnings are actually exciting when I stop and climb to a new vantage point.
It’s sweater weather.
Tea. (What else needs to be said about that?)
The blue jays have returned.
Asking customers at work what their plans are for Thanksgiving transforms mediocre small talk into real conversations and real smiles.
Journaling late at night when my brain is tired and filters are down is relaxing.
God is there. Quietly faithful. The same today as He was yesterday. The same as He will be tomorrow.
***
Sometimes we need to stop, breathe, and consciously think of all the things we have to be grateful for. And to be completely honest with you again–after writing this list, I feel a lot lighter. Happy Thanksgiving!
What are you thankful for today?
Amen! and Amen! I'm with you, sister, and Yes, you can always be completely honest with me. I love your thankfulness list, and I love *you*. Write on!
Thank you sooo much, Mrs. D. You're the best. I love you too! <3
Beautiful! Isn't it wonderful how once you do take a moment to try and count your blessings, you realize they're countless? Thank you for reminding me to stop and thank God more often!
It's true, we have an INCREDIBLE amount of things to be thankful for, once we start counting them. š
Love this, thank you. Your blog is always so refreshing and cheering to read. <3
Aw, thank you! Hearing that this is a refreshing place is so encouraging. <3 Happy Thanksgiving!
I'm so sorry your creativity has been stifled and you're not feeling the holiday spirit. I hate when the busyness of life does that to us. But writing out a list of the things you ARE grateful for was such a brilliant idea to help brighten your mood. And this list was soooo beautiful. It made me feel both happy and peaceful. The sun rising one especially hit me. It's something we take for granted, but really, it should put us in awe every single day over this marvelous world God has provided us.
There is always so, SO much to be grateful for. Thank you for this wonderful reminder, Tracey! Thank you for ALL of this. I hope you have an absolutely spectacular and refueling Thanksgiving! <333
(P.S. I looove the quotes in the pictures you shared. So inspiring!)
*hugs* It's not fun feeling that way…but the feelings do pass! I'm grateful for all the reasons to smile in the midst of it. (And you're one of them. <3)
I'm realizing more and more that I'm more aware of God's presence outdoors–seeing the sun rise, staring at the stars, being around trees and fields and hills and birds… it's so amazing, and we're often too busy to realize that we LIVE in a love letter from God!
And thank YOU, Christine! I had a quiet, refreshing Thanksgiving, which was just what I needed. I hope your Thanksgiving (next month) is great too! š
P.S. Aren't they? I love them too. ^_^
Lovely post, Tracey!
Thank you, Skye! <3
I'm thankful for blogs and vlogs that help keep my spirits high.
Yes, I'm blessed by many encouraging voices online too!
Beautiful list, Tracey!
I'm grateful to have a time set aside to remember all we have to be thankful for.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you, Blue! Oh, I agree…it's wonderful to have a day set aside to nudge my heart back into an attitude of gratefulness. š I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!
Yes! This is lovely! Praise the Lord our thankfulness doesn't pivot off of our emotions (unlike what the world will tell us) or else we'd miss out on a lot of awesomeness in our lives. Thanks for the reminder!
Thank you, Sarah! Oh, thank God our emotions aren't the be all, end all! I was definitely reminding myself with this post, and I'm glad it served to remind you too. š
By the way, I don't think we've officially met, so welcome here. Thanks for stopping by!
YES. THANK YOU FOR THIS. (although Thanksgiving in October is still a strange concept ok) Being intentional about thankfulness is super important and something I've been trying to work on lately. *nods*
YOU'RE WELCOME. And thank *you!* It's easy to stop being grateful if we leave it to whim. I've been thinking about it lately too. (LOL, happy Thanksgiving a month early!)
Well, after reading your post, I'm thankful that so much /doesn't/ depend on our emotions. After today, I think I'm more than usually grateful for friends with whom I can have deep conversations.
https://ofdreamsandswords.wordpress.com
I'm so thankful our feelings don't have to run our lives too. Ah yes, deep conversations are one of my favorite things in the world too. š
"But that's just it–thankfulness is not about feelings." – Thanks for reminding me of this. I just read 'One Thousand Gifts' by Ann Voskamp (have you heard of/read her stuff?) a couple months ago, and it's all about thankfulness and joy and things too wonderful to forget, but it seems I've already forgotten.
I was reminding myself at the same time! No, I don't think I've ever heard of her…but that sounds like a good book.
One of Ted Dekker's novels said something that's stuck with me ever since: "Life is a cycle of remembering and forgetting." I used to be harder on myself about always needing to relearn things God was teaching me, but that sentence sums up life pretty well. We forget sometimes, but each time we remember, I think we get stronger and better–and hopefully our times of forgetfulness grow shorter and shorter. š
*clutches heart* That was so beautiful Tracey! I agree with every sentence. There is so much to be thankful for, but it can all be lost to us if we refuse to see it as it is. Such a wonderful reminder. <3
Thanks so much, Madeline! Our perspective is a huge factor, isn't it? And being intentional in choosing which vantage point to take is easier said than done. Thanks for your lovely comment! <3