Cultivating a Spirit of Thankfulness (Throwback from November 2015)
Thanksgiving has come and gone and the craving for dressing and gravy is officially on hold until Christmas.
In the midst of the eating comes gathering around the table,
and gathering around the table brings about the “what are you thankful for” conversations.
My family does this every year.
Eyes are rolled, we say our little bits, and move on to the next topic of conversation.
But for some reason this year, I had a deep rooted emotion that was nearing rupture and I feared that talking would explode all that was within me.
“LuLu, it’s your turn,” my dad said, as the entire family turned my way.
I felt instantaneous nervous sweat and emotions rising faster than I could say “don’t”.
I haven’t exactly held a spirit of thankfulness this past year-and-a-half.
I’ve held on to hurts, walked through valley after valley emotionally, and honestly, overlooked every moment to say thank you and taken every opportunity to complain.
But when that question stared at me through the eyes of my most supportive people, everything that I could be thankful for became so clear.
“I’m, um, I’m thankful for the Lord… I mean I know that sounds so cliche, but..”
My brother-in-law, Todd, interjected and said “no.. that’s valid. extremely valid.”
Every ounce of thankfulness I had came out of my eyes like a rolling river.
AND if you know the Plunkett clan, when one cries, we ALL cry.
We were a bunch of weeping willows as I barely mustered out my thankfulness for the people sitting around me, a home purchased, starting two businesses with my husband, living in a community of incredible dreamers and lovers of The Light, and finally coming to a point in my life where I understand that validation and approval from people will never be what brings me joy in life.
how ’bout that for a “things I’m thankful for” table talk…
whew. geez.
But if the Thanksgiving season taught me anything it was this:
When you cultivate a spirit of thankfulness, you cultivate a community of thankful people.
A community of people who are thankful is just as attractive as a community of misery.
So what are you choosing to be thankful for?
Because let’s be honest here, thankfulness is a choice 98% of the time.
But when thankfulness is your choice,
emotions are heavy with joy,
life lightens up,
things that seemed so overbearing become petty and small,
and people around you tend to gravitate towards a thankful heart too.
It is time that instagram has “thankful” fame EVERY DAY and that tables are asking the thankful question more than once a year.
Cultivate a spirit of thankfulness, because some days that spirit may be all that you have.
Happy Monday after thanksgiving,
it’s a perfect day to be thankful.