Giving Special Thanks This Thanksgiving
November 15, 2007 by Kailani
Filed under family topics
Whenever someone asks what you’re thankful for, what do you immediately think of? Your family? Your health? Your freedom?
Those are the things that I think of, too. However, I was reading a local publication called Island Family Magazine and they had an article about being thankful for the things that we normally wouldn’t be thankful for.
For example:
Why not be thankful that your child’s soccer team lost their last game? It is important that your children have experiences of both winning and losing. By losing, children have the opportunity to learn to handle defeat and bounce back next time. With your help, they can learn that winning or losing is not a measure of who and what they are as human beings. Appreciate the opportunity the loss brings and be grateful for it.
Why not be thankful that your youngsters track mud and sand into the garage and house? The next time you stand in the garage furiously sweeping sand and wishing that your children were better behaved, quietly remind yourself that one day you’ll wish you had sand to sweep out of the garage. Love the mud. Love the sand. Be grateful for the signs of the presence of children in your life.
Why not be thankful that you got to stay home with a sick child last week? You didn’t have to stay home. You got to stay home. You didn’t have to take him to the doctor. You got to take him to the doctor. You got to show him you care enough to drive all over town to the doctors, the pharmacists and back home again. You got to be with your boy while he was sick. Chalk it up as a blessing.
Why not give thanks that your child is spilling milk, talking with her mouth full, wiping cranberry sauce on her new dress, refusing to eat her vegetables, and interrupting her grandmother at the dinner table this day? It means you have more work to do as a parent. This is a blessing. You are still needed to help your child learn to pour her milk more carefully, improve her table manners, learn to eat nutritiously, and show respect for elders. Give thanks for these opportunities.
Can you think of any more to add to this list?
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About the author: Owner and founder of An Island Life. Sharing my life as a mother to 3 wonderful daughters, working as a flight attendant, and living a blessed life in Hawaii. |
Maybe I’m a doorknob but what’s up with the first three comments?
It’s the little simple things in life that make me thankful every day. The quiet of the early morning before sunrise. The birds singing before the rest of the world wakes up. The grandchild that suggles up next to me in bed. The sound of my youngest son calling to just say hello. The speeding ticket that reminds us to slow down. The mortgage payment that reminds us we have a home. The vet bill yesterday that let us bring our injured cat back home.
pinkjagxj’s last blog post..And I wish Britt, that you were here
The very essence of Thanksgiving is to feel thankful for all the blessings… send a warm greetings to express your heartfelt gratitude to all those who have touched your life and made it so wonderful. Say a warm ‘Thank You’ to all those who matter this Thanksgiving with a touching online wish here Thanksgiving Thank You Ecards
Instead of being frustrated with my children for begging while we were shopping tonight, I should have been thankful that they are healthy enough to come out with me. That we have the money to get the things that we need and a few things that we just want.
Isn’t perspecitve a wonderful gift?
This is a beautiful post, and it is so true. It is important to be thankful for not just the good in life. Things happen for a reason. I am thankful that I have a husband who works so hard for our family that I get to stay at home with our son. He misses a lot, and he does it for us.
This is so sweet, and I echo a lot of these and the comments above! I especially love the second one… I often think of the day when she will no longer need me to drive her around, pick up after her, help her shower and do her hair, etc. So sometimes when I get aggravated at having to do those things, I remind myself that I GET to do them!!!
Jen’s last blog post..Out to Tea Hair Accessories!!
When I’m taking those early morning walks with my dogs and my legs and body are tired, I’m thankfull that I have the ability to walk and go out with the dogs, since some don’t have this ability.
Matt’s last blog post..4 Quick Dog Facts
What a wonderful post.
I am thankful for the loud and obnoxious noises that my kids make. I am sure that when they are all grown up the silence will be deafening.
Lisa’s last blog post..Playing Games
I’m glad I don’t sleep long enough to dream, because then I might have nightmares!
Cheers
Maddy’s last blog post..The day of Rest – Imagine it?s Sunday
I can be thankful for all those hospitalizations, as they motivated me to become an informed advocate for my son.
witchypoo’s last blog post..Decorating gone bad
I am thankful for the wind, that it blows so hard so that my kids can run through the leaves on the hill…
I am thankful for my messy house, for it means that there are loved ones that live within its walls…
I am thankful for all of the lovely appliances and comforts that my life has, so that I am afforded the ability to casually browse through the internet, meeting friends like you!
tracey’s last blog post..Thank you
Hi! I have to say..i loved your blog!
One night, I was really annoyed that my 4 year-old kept waking me up and wanting to get in bed with me. I couldn’t get back to sleep, so I started reading blogs. (of course!) I came across a mom who had just lost her daughter in a terrible beach accident.
So from now on, I will be thankful when my kids wake me up and want to cuddle, no matter how tired I am.
That is a great post. Although I am thankful everyday for my kids, I am not always thankful in the moment for things I would not have without them. Thank You for reminding me that even the most frustrating of times are thankful times.
I am thankful that I can walk my son to school everyday, even when I have to bundle up his sister and the temperature is below zero. I am thankful because I can do this. And I can do this because I am healthy, my kids are healthy and my hubby works hard so I can be the one to walk him and pick him up. Thank you.
BeachMama’s last blog post..Little Hat
Be thankful when the kids fall down and cry b/c they want you to kiss their booboos. Before you know it, they won’t want you to kiss their booboos any more. Now I’m really going to cry!!
Waya’s last blog post..You know you?re in the boonies when?
That is such a great post! What a good reminder that we should be thankful not just for all the good things but the things that aggravate us as well.
I love these types of reminders. It’s so easy to generalize and miss so much. I love listening to children’s prayers because they break out everything, ‘thank you for my new toy’, ‘thank you for my hands’, etc. I think there’s such a lesson in there for us as adults because those details we skip are what really show us how much we’re missing!
Hugs,
Holly