Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, probably because it affords us the basis for the upcoming holiday season. It’s like the festive kickoff for the Super Bowl of Life, providing the initial start of the “rest of the game”. It’s the REASON FOR THE SEASON!

Gratitude is the strongest of energies. Gratitude changes everything. Gratitude is a powerful tool, turning any ordinary Thursday into Thanksgiving.

Some people live under the misconception that they will be filled with gratitude when they find happiness in their job, marriage, and family. Others delay being grateful until they are deemed successful by their peers, or the standards that they have set for themselves.

Often we wait a lifetime to live with a grateful heart until “all is well”. While all the time we have the key to happiness in our hands.

Gratitude is the key unlocking the door to happiness. The early Pilgrims knew this and we’re reminded of this vital lesson every Thanksgiving.

Be grateful for your blessings, no matter what they are.

Instead of feeling a sense of loss and need, concentrate on what you DO have and there will be no room in your mind or your heart for what you THINK you are missing.

Instead of waking up complaining about the aches and pains brought about during the night, be thankful for the body parts that DO work.

Instead of living in state of constant yearning for something bigger or better, relish your present circumstances.

Bloom where you are planted with a grateful heart. From gratitude blooms happiness.

Challenge for the week: Be mindful of your thoughts and words, monitoring your presence as “one of want” or “one of gratefulness.

Make every day a thanksgiving holiday.