In our often over critical “naysayer” kind of world we have become conditioned to focus on the negative, the absence, the lack of, the never enough part of our lives. But once year in late November we are given the gift of a day to shift our focus. It is a day to focus on what we have v.s what we don’t have. It is a day to see the silver lining in the clouds that darken our sky. Instead of going on and on in a Pollyanna kind of way I will share with you this real life story of someone who embraced a spirit of gratitude.
There was a woman who got fired from her job. She never saw it coming and the news sent her reeling for months. She struggled for 4 months with the sense of urgency to jump into the job market and needing to take the time to heal and regain her confidence. After 6 months of being in transition her father became terminally ill. She took a break from job search and became the primary care giver to an aging parent in another city. She drove many miles back and forth to be with him in his final days. Her father died this Fall, she has been unemployed for almost a year and she has every right to be bitter and sad, yet she has said that having the time to spend with her father without the pressures of work was a gift for which she is grateful for.
My wish for you this Thanksgiving is that you are able to embrace a spirit of gratitude and remember that even in our darkest moments there lies a gift for which we can be grateful for.
