It’s that time of year again, when families get together to have a big feast and enjoy one another’s company. For my family this is probably everyone’s favorite holiday (with the exception of me) and while a large part of that is due to all the food we get to eat, we also know it’s one of the few days out of the year that we all get to truly be together.
What I love most about this holiday is being able to see all my nieces and nephews under one roof, happy and having fun, and knowing that my grandma is blessed to be able to witness it all once again.
What warms my heart the most about this holiday, and probably the only reason I continue to celebrate it with family year after year, is the reminder of everything that I have in my life presently to be thankful for. Time files by so fast and sometimes it can be hard to slow down and enjoy the roses. When this happens, I personally can easily stop practicing gratitude.
Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity to realign my morals with my values, and to ensure my life is reflecting those honestly. That way throughout the year when I’m having hard days, weeks, months, and even moments, I can stop and practice gratitude for what I do have presently.
If the parts of me that matter most weren’t aligned with the life that I’m pursuing (or living depending how you choose to look at it), then I wouldn’t have the things that I have that make my life presently satisfying.
Here’s a short and sweet Thanksgiving message from me to you, hoping you’ll keep the spirit of gratitude alive in your heart this Thanksgiving.
Gratitude for Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving has a long history of the importance of it, why, and how it came to be. I’m not here to dissect that history, so sorry if that’s what you came for. I’m just here to spread a little bit of gratitude in whatever way fills your cup the most! Now, while Thanksgiving is not my favorite holiday, it does hold personal meaning for me.
I like to examine the spirit of Thanksgiving and take what I can from that feeling and make meaning out of it. For me, this means understanding that to give thanks is to show appreciation for what has been given to you. Often times this is something that you may have been in need of, or something that you weren’t expecting to receive, but in doing so has helped you in the tiniest of ways.
To give thanks is to express gratitude for what you either have or do not have. To express how much you value the time that was taken for someone to think of you in a moment when you may not have asked them to, and to follow through with that thought in some way that has blessed your life. And this will look different for everyone based on cultural and individual perspectives and practices, but none the less it is a universal feeling.
So why on Thanksgiving of all days? Well, if you’re thinking we should be expressing thanks every day and not just on this one specific day, I totally agree with you. However, the reality is sometimes that’s easier said than done. And while Thanksgiving is absolutely not the only day you should remember or feel motivated or inspired to do so, it unfortunately is the one day most people do it.
So even if you can beat them, still join them!
In the spirit of practicing gratitude, here are a list of topics and questions to share with your friends, family, and loved ones aplenty, on Thanksgiving Day, to encourage and help build the foundation of practicing gratitude if not every day, most days, throughout the year.
Gratitude Topics
Discuss / express your gratitude for…
- Family
- Friends
- Sunrise or sunset, why?
- Your favorite food that you can’t live without
- Your biggest inspiration
- Favorite book / movie / or pastime
- Personal growth
- Your safe space
- Favorite quote
- Greif
Gratitude Questions
Share your answers to the following questions (and don’t forget to explain why).
- What is a memorable experience that has brought you happiness?
- What’s a personal accomplishment that makes you feel proud?
- What’s the last act of kindness that you have extended or received? How did it make you feel?
- Who are your personal heroes, why?
- What are three things that have brought you joy and happiness in the past three days?
- How do / can / will you practice gratitude when life feels difficult?
- Looking back on your life thus far, what unexpected moments / experiences are you grateful for?
- How do you express your creativity? Why is this important to you?
- What do you want to remember to no longer take for granted?
- What are you currently grateful for and how could you share your gratitude with others today?
At the end of the day, practicing gratitude has great benefits for our overall well-being. It’s an art learning how to see life through the lens of a grateful heart, but allowing yourself to master the practice of doing so, can and will only improve your life immensely.
Yes, ideally, we all should be expressing gratitude on a day-to-day basis, but we are only human. So, give yourself and others some grace if this is not a consistent part of your practice.
This Thanksgiving Day try to start a new tradition of sharing more moments of gratitude with others. Then take what you learn and all the good feels you get from that experience and pay it forward to yourself in whatever way feels most authentic and satisfying.
For me it’ll more than likely be journaling.
In the meantime, share with me in the comment section something that you are grateful for. I’d love hear it all!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Love and Light,
Kimora