Thankfulness.

Gratitude.

These are two words that make the world so much better.

Today I am thankful for firefighters and support individuals who are battling fires to keep our homes safe.

I am thankful for family and friends who love and support me.

I am thankful for my fur babies.

I am thankful for our country.  Even though it may have some flaws and challenges it is still a pretty wonderful place to live.

I am thankful for musicians, artists and writers who enrich my world with their creativity and gifts.

I am thankful for every day that I wake up and have the opportunity to be me.

Need some ideas of ways to express your gratitude? How about these ideas?

1. Keep a gratitude journal.

2. Say thank you to someone.

3.  Meditate or pray.

4. Focus on others.

5. Write a thank you to someone who has made a difference in your life.

6. Pay it forward in a drive through or at a restaurant.

7. Look for one thing every day that you can do to make a small difference in the world.

When we focus on others and show kindness it is a way to recognize our own gratitude and thankfulness for all that we have.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving and be grateful.  I will see you back here on Monday—after a few days off.

“If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.” ~ Harold Kushner

“Gratitude is something of which none of us can give too much. For on the smiles, the thanks we give, our little gestures of appreciation, our neighbors build their philosophy of life.” ~ A. J. Cronin

“Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have—life itself.” ~ Walter Anderson