I personally like the definition for grateful, versus
thankful. I know, I’m splitting hairs,
they’re synonyms of each other, but the definitions at www.dictionary.com prove my point.
thank·ful
adjective
feeling or expressing gratitude; appreciative
grate·ful
adjective
1. warmly or deeply appreciative of kindness or benefits received;
thankful: I am grateful to you for your help.
2. expressing or actuated by gratitude: a grateful letter.
3. pleasing to the mind or senses; agreeable or welcome;
refreshing: a grateful breeze.
Are we as a nation just thankful for the turkey dinner, and
a day off from work? Don’t get me wrong,
I look forward to them too, but is that how we look at our holidays? We can get caught up in the planning, and traveling, and we should want to be with family. But now that the Black Friday sales actually
begin on Thursday, what are we allowing to happen to us? We’ll be too busy planning our shopping
excursions, how soon we need to show up to stand in line (have you seen those
already camped out in front of Best Buy?), to really reflect on those things
that are important or spend time with our family. It's just another tradition based in history, white washed by society. Do our children even
know the history? For that matter, how
many adults could really tell you why we celebrate this coming Thursday? How can we be thankful, or grateful for the
upcoming holiday if we don’t even know what it’s about?
I’m grateful for those that in 1620 put their faith in God and decided to get in a little ship, travel across the Atlantic and start new here in America. I’m thankful for a laundry list of things, but I’m
actually grateful, deeply appreciative of God’s blessings in my life.
What are you grateful for?
I am grateful for my family & thankful that my MIL is such a wonderful cook who taught her son how to cook. Not intentionally, but he learned by example.
ReplyDeleteThankful for my family, the home we have & the life we are building
ReplyDeleteI am mostly thankful on Thanksgiving for the many blessings that God has delivered us all. This is the primary reason to me for this day.
ReplyDeleteAs a side note , I'm grateful that the Native American people saved our settlers buns so that they could have that first Thanksgiving feast. So many forget it was a harmonious gathering of all on that day.
My list of things that I am thankful and grateful for would fill a blog. I'm glad to see there is someone besides me who thinks this whole black Friday thing is stupid and extending it into Thursday is an affront to hearth, home, and family. I'm afraid we are putting the acquisition of "things" before more important things like spending time with family and relaxing. Is there something wrong with just relaxing with the ones you love? What item in a store could be more important. I wrote about this two years ago in a blog post when a friend told me her kids had basketball practice on Thanksgiving and she told the coach to stuff it and gave him the bird to stuff it in.LOL! Just kidding but she did ignore the practice. I love thanksgiving. To me it is a 3 to 4 day holiday filled with family, food, and fun. Have a wonderful holiday.
ReplyDeleteWith so much to be thankful...grateful for, ultimately, above and beyond the "laundry list" I'm thankful for the grace of God in my life.
ReplyDeleteA blessed Thanksgiving to you and yours! ~Lisa