Starting with an abundance of leftovers of turkey, amazing mac ‘n cheese, sweet potato pie, cake, and punch capped off with the following day filled with Black Friday offers I felt a need to reconnect with a giving of thanks within. It can seem so easy to lose focus on the day. While there are many debates on the validity and foundation of the origin of Thanksgiving, I choose to focus on the best part of Thanksgiving, which is being grateful. Inherent in gratitude can soothe what ails you. The practice of gratitude reminds us of what is right in life. It fosters a healthy mental attitude. Years ago, while attending a conference the speaker did a deep dive into the benefits of gratitude. With what we’ve weathered over the last couple of years, we do, indeed have a lot to be grateful for. Admittedly, sometimes it can be a challenge to isolate and identify it. Especially considering the amount of loss and continual stream of bad news we’ve endured.

The speaker began by suggesting making a list of what you are grateful for. He went “old school” with it. He provided beautiful leather-bound journals which he distributed to everyone in attendance (there were about 500 of us in total). In preparation for our being in attendance, he personally wrote a note of thanks to each one. It was a next-level touch that caused a collective feeling of connectedness in the room. All of a sudden, the room felt more intimate. Smaller. I remember writing down how I was grateful that my mom, Mumay made it successfully through her heart surgery. That was my number one. My eyes welled up as I fought back tears of gratitude. I remembered the mental tug-of-war between what the doctor said with all of the medical facts and stats versus what I believed about her being able to rise from the bed of affliction. In my hieroglyphic style of writing, I experienced a stream of writing 32 things that filled me with gratitude.

I have referred back to that list countless times when facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles. In those moments of reflection, my strength was renewed. I remembered how bleak things looked then and how we got through it. This caused me to become hopeful that this current challenge would be overcome as well. It’s similar to the passage in the Bible with David as he was mentally and spiritually preparing to defeat his giant (obstacle), Goliath. In I Samuel 17: 37, David shares this: David added, “The LORD, who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear, will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” This passage illustrates the power of recounting victories. Journaling your gratitude can strengthen your resolve in recounting victories.

I’m not suggesting that this is a cure-all for all obstacles and challenges. I’m suggesting it is a good starting place. May I also suggest that if you need assistance in overcoming challenges and obstacles, or even cultivating an attitude of gratitude, The Fruit Of Our Hands Ministries has coaching and counseling programs that can help you with that?

Feel comfortable reaching out for an Initial Exploratory Consultation by calling us today at 951-289-9808 or emailing: admin@fruitnhands.org