WW: Giving thanks.

"There is always, always, always something to be thankful for." -Author Unknown

It has been a rough couple weeks at the Kauffman house! I was down and out last week, sick as a dog, and try as I did to spare Coop, he got sick this week. Needless to say, we have been a fun group lately. Really, you would have loved to come over! But, alas, happy Turkey Day!

[caption id="attachment_745" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Thanksgiving 2011[/caption]

I don't know about you, but Thanksgiving snuck up on me this year! When you are younger you have a week off for this day, so the mental preparation is so much different than when you are older and it just becomes another day of the week. Thanksgiving has long been my favorite holiday. Every Turkey Day growing up my family would pack up the car and head to Houston to see grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. It was the one time of year that we were all together. We'd fry turkeys, watch the Dallas Cowboys, run turkey trots and eat pretzel jello. Some of my best memories with family are on this holiday. We were blessed to all be together last Thanksgiving, which turned out to be my Grandfather's last.
[caption id="attachment_746" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The fam on Thanksgiving 2011[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_747" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Me with my sweet Grandpa[/caption]

There is something special about a day that is all about giving thanks. We all know the general story of how "Thanksgiving" came to be- a meal between the Pilgrims and the Indians. But, if you think about it, the meal was so much more than that. So...history lesson: the Indians taught the Pilgrims how to farm the land and grow crops when they didn't know the land and were dying. The holiday we now celebrate with a Thanksgiving meal represents the meal shared with the first crops that the Pilgrims grew, and a thank you to the Indians for helping them learn to survive. So even in such a time of sickness in death, they got together to celebrate and give thanks. The Indians offered such a hand of friendship. There is such great history in this country, and in this story- of one group helping another.

I think a lot about the importance of living with a thankful spirit. I blogged about it recently and am convinced that living your days with gratitude is one of the secrets to a happy life.

"If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily." – Gerald Good

So, having one day to focus on giving thanks? I love it. But making it a daily practice? Let's live it.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Wishing you and yours a happy holiday! From me and this guy:



-Lauren