Just for fun, see if you can find your thesaurus — that reference book that you had in high school or college that lists synonyms (words that mean the same) and antonyms (words that mean the opposite). By the way, the word “thesaurus” comes from a Latin word that means “storehouse of knowledge”. (That may be more information than you wanted, right?)
Chances are, you may not have looked at your thesaurus in years, so if you can’t find it, try looking in that forgotten corner on the top shelf of your bookcase. If you prefer an electronic thesaurus, look for it on the top shelf of your tool bar under “Tools”. With either method, go to the listings under “T”, and look up the word “thankful”.
No matter where you find it, you will discover that the synonyms for “thankful” are “full of thanks”, “grateful”, “appreciative”, “feeling gratitude”, “expressing appreciation”, “obliged”, “beholden”, “indebted to”.
This is the month when we focus on counting our blessings and feeling thankful, grateful, and appreciative for our bounty. It’s been a tough year – a year of controversy, tragedy, violence, disasters, scandal – but in spite of the difficulties, we all have so much for which we can be thankful.
If you find yourself feeling discouraged or depressed by your circumstances, focusing on gratitude will change your attitude. In celebration of the season, write down three things today for which you are thankful and continue this practice every day until Thanksgiving. Encourage your family members to do the same. And when you and your family and friends gather around the turkey and the TV, before you dive into the dressing, the sweet potatoes and the pumpkin pie; before you settle into your favorite chair to cheer your favorite team, take a minute to share your lists of blessings.
Try it. My guess is that if you do this, you will be thankful – full of thanks, grateful, appreciate. No matter what word you use, your heart will be full, and this Thanksgiving will be the best one yet.
Wishing you and those you love a grateful day,
©Copyright 2018
