It’s Turkey Time! With Thanksgiving taking place this week, many families across the US will be gathering around the dinner table to gobble up some turkey with loved ones. As they’re passing the cranberry sauce, they’ll share all the things they are thankful for this year. From celebrating life events to expressing gratitude for the simple things – clothing, food and shelter – “Thankful” will be the talk of the country.
thank·ful
ˈTHaNGkfəl/
adjective
- pleased and relieved.
- expressing gratitude and relief.
Thanksgiving is a time to say remember all the things we are grateful for. We say thanks several times each day for the small things, such as holding a door open, receiving new business, a gift or compliment, etc. Saying “Thank You” has become a cultural norm, and some argue the world has lost its meaning.
I don’t believe it has. The root meaning of being thankful is “pleased and relieved” and expressing gratitude for anything that pleases or relieves us is still a powerful positive acknowledgement of what someone else has done for us. Even if you’re simply saying “Thanks” for the little things such as the store clerk handing you a receipt, or someone holding a door open for you, you are still “pleased and relieved” that they have helped in some small way. We can never say thank you enough. Life is a gift. Every experience we have is a gift. The fact that others are willing to share, or help aide us in that experience is a gift, and we must always say thank you when we receive that gift. A Thank You will never go un-wasted so long as the person says it and means it!
So as you sit around the Thanksgiving table this year, think long and hard about what you’re really thankful for. It could be as simple as having clothes on your back, a roof over your head. Perhaps you had a great life experience this year – a promotion, new job, marriage, a new baby. Be thankful for all that you have in life, and the people in it. Good and bad. Everyone who enters our lives gives us a better understanding of the world around us. Be thankful for all the experiences you’ve had and where you are going.
At Hope for Hearts, we are thankful for many things. We’re thankful for Father Muggaga and the nuns who help run the schools. We’re thankful for the students, who have chosen to work hard to create a better life, and in turn, creating a better world. And last but most certainly not least – we’re thankful for you!
I’d like to take this time to say Thank You, from the bottom of my heart, to you and all of our wonderful supporters of Hope for Hearts. Whether you’ve donated to our organization, helped spread the word about our mission or simply informed yourself via our blog – you are the reason we are able to do the good work we do.
With Many Thanks,
Cristen
