by Sophia Tesch

Created on: October 10, 2008   Last Updated: April 14, 2009

Thanksgiving dinner is the clinking of plates, the low rumble of appreciative conversation around the table, the scent of cinnamon and spice in the air, memories being made. It is an opportunity for taking time to give thanks.

It is easy to get swept up in the day to day maintenance of one's blessings and to forget to appreciate them. The sink of dirty dishes, the clothes and toys on the floor, the bills stacking up on the desk seem overwhelming at times. It is necessary to mindfully take a step back and a deep breath to look at these responsibilities in a different light.

Dirty dishes mean there was nutritious food on the table, clothes that lay on the floor were, at one time, providing warmth and comfort. The toys on the floor mean there were children playing. The bills symbolize an automobile to drive and a comfortable home to rest at night.

Taking time to give thanks is essential to a contented, fulfilling life. Of course that which is deemed lacking seems to blink like red neon signs. That which has yet to be done, that which needs mending or fixing, that which is inadequate. Yet, when taking time to give thanks, when taking a deep breath and looking at all that's abundant, the change in perspective can be life altering.

Initiate a habit of being thankful every day by taking a few moments over a cup of coffee or during morning walks to appreciate the people and the good things in life. Correspond with thank you notes to loved ones revealing how important they are and what they mean to you. Take inventory of that which is as it should be during a particularly good time of life. This testimony can be referred to as confirmation that good times did indeed exist, a fact might not be as easy to remember during one of life's more challenging ordeals. Use it as evidence that life will once again take a change for the better.

With the simple mindful act of taking time to give thanks, turns burdens into blessings and tasks become triumphs. This Thanksgiving, while you gather around your table with family and friends experience the joy that taking time to give thanks can bring.

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