Finding Thankfulness and Gratitude in My Life
“Thankfulness
is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude
is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of
words. Gratitude is shown in acts.”
–Henri Frederic Amiel, Swiss philosopher
The
harvest is in, the garden has been put to bed, and the weather has turned
cold. The days are growing shorter;
winter has arrived. It is the season of a comfortable chair, a warm blanket, a
mug of tea and a good book.
It
is also a time of being thankful and grateful.
At Thanksgiving, we gather around the table, sharing food and
companionship. It is a time of quiet
celebration.
Thanksgiving
is a quiet, contemplative holiday with few expectations. Simply being together and sharing a meal is
all that the holiday seems to require of us.
Oh, and the obligatory giving of thanks. In the rush towards the consumerism
and frenzy of Christmas, it seems easy to slide right by this time of giving
thanks, and plunge into the next holiday.
And,
when we do that, we forget to pause and reflect, and to be truly thankful.
The
real holiday, the real celebration this week is a time to go inward, to truly
appreciate what we have in our lives, and how we are to live, to truly be
children of God. Thanksgiving is all
about love, in all of its dimensions.
This
year there is much to be thankful for: the necessities of life, purposeful
work, time with friends and family, health, and being able to serve, to be of
service.
People
in my life this year have achieved much.
One friend is moving into a new home, his first, very own, this is
really mine, home. A year ago, he was
adrift, unemployed, unsure of himself.
Today, due to his hard work and his belief in all of his possibilities,
he has a rich, purposeful life.
Another
friend is casting aside distractions and old misery, and healing old
wounds. He’s taking charge, doing
healthy things, putting his life in order.
Another
friend passed a test in school. He
conquered his fears, his self doubts; he has conquered his sabotage of a future
of rich possibilities. He is ready to
move on, and he has shown to himself that he can grow, and learn, and be
successful. He has climbed his own
mountain, and can believe in himself.
I
am recharging my own creative energies. I am writing a serious book that gives
voice to those who are less fortunate. I am immersing myself in creating music
and art, and being an advocate for others. I am pausing to look at the beauty of the
world, in this very moment, to appreciate who I am and where I am going.
All this is scary,
terrifying work. What if I actually
accomplish what I dream? Are there really no barriers, no limits to what I can
accomplish, if I put my mind and my soul into the effort? I might be successful? Me? But, then I will
have to take on even greater challenges, and be responsible for my effort.
Really? Little old me?
Yes,
me. I am the one. I am the one who can change the world, one
little step at a time. Changing the
world is really my job. And, I can do
it.
We
all have our obstacles. And we are all
capable of success, and believing in our strengths, our possibilities.
I am a citizen of
the world and I pay attention, I learn, and I try to apply my energies and my
awareness to being an instrument of positive change.
We live in troubled
times. Yet that has also been true in
years past. Every generation has faced
that challenge, and had to answer that question, can I really accomplish my
dream?
I choose to be an
agent of change, and to not retreat into silence and indifference. I believe we
are called to respond and to act, to be proactive, to be God’s instruments of
change.
Maybe I can’t wave
my magic wand and achieve world peace. But, I can move in that direction. I can bring myself and my work into a state
of constructive peacefulness. I can work
to nurture that energy into my family, my neighborhood, and my community.
I can make a
difference.
I can join with
other like-minded people, and consistently do good works.
Each of us is a
peace-maker. Peace making has to start
somewhere.
“Let there be
peace on Earth and let it begin with me,” the song says.
We all have our
story. Be a listener, and hear someone
speak their truth,
perhaps for the first time. Let
everyone’s story be told, and be heard.
Each of us can do
an act of kindness and compassion. Pay
an act of kindness forward. Buy a stranger a coffee, help an elderly person
with a package, talk to a friend, visit the sick, the lonely, the
imprisoned. Maybe bring a meal to a sick
neighbor. Volunteer.
Strike up a
conversation while waiting at the grocery store check out. Ask the clerk how they are doing and listen
to their answer. Hear them, deeply and compassionately. Hug a friend who seems upset, lost, without
hope.
In any of that
work, there is kindness and compassion.
You are giving of yourself, and you are showing others how to be human,
how to be kind and loving.
“Be
the change you want to see in the world,” Mahatma Gandhi said.
Our
example, just something simple, can change one person’s life. And in that, we change the world. We make our planet just a little better.
Isn’t
that the Golden Rule? Isn’t that what the prophets, the scions of great
religions have preached? Isn’t that
being an instrument of God’s love for every one of us?
Each
of us is special, unique. We are here
for a reason. And, isn’t that reason to
show love and compassion, to be kind, generous, thoughtful of others? By our example, we show the way, we
demonstrate how people should really live, how we really are the children of
God.
Today,
I give thanks, and I am grateful. And,
in my own, small way, I am making a difference, I am changing the world, one
small act of kindness at a time.
---Neal
Lemery, November 24, 2015
