Overwhelming Gratitude

Overwhelming Gratitude

Caryn Grant
Contributing Writer
ShuBee®

I think all too often we overlook the things we should really be thankful for.

Do you take the time to truly take in the wonders around you and ENJOY them? Things like the sun shining on your face, the smell of fall, health, wealth (however small or great) and happiness? These are sometimes just viewed as a part of the world in which we live. In reality, they are a small part in what we should all be thankful for everyday.

I am thankful for a supportive and loving family, a good meal with great friends, a phone call just when I need it (and didn’t even know it), my dog greeting me at the door with his tail wagging. I am thankful for rainy days when I want to lay in bed. I am thankful for sunny days at the lake. I am thankful for the bed and the lake.

I am thankful for a job doing what I love. I am thankful that I get to work with a group that has become family, a group that genuinely cares about each other and what they do. I am thankful that I work for a company that treats clients with respect and cares about helping them become the best they can. I am thankful that I work with some of my best friends.

I am so thankful for the life I have been blessed with. I am happy to be able to have all of these things and know that life will only get better with age, or so my mother says. I am thankful that not every day is perfect, and that I can learn lessons from each of the trials I have been and will continue to go through.  This makes me even more thankful for the days that are perfect.

I am thankful that I have the rights and the freedoms that I do today. I am thankful that our country is so great a country that we fight for what we believe in. I am thankful for the men and women who give their lives to defend mine, and the families that support them while they do it.

Do you express your gratitude for the things that make your life amazing?

Giving thanks doesn’t have to be some big elaborate show. Take just ten seconds of your day, fight the urge to get on Facebook or get the scores online, and let the people that affect you the most know how important they are to you..

1. Try adding a line at the end of your emails just to remind your mother, your best friend or your boss how thankful you are for them? Ten seconds…

“Boss, thank you for helping me with this project. There were many times that I needed help to just see the bigger picture and you helped get my head clear to do just that.”

2. How about picking up the phone when you know they are at work, or unavailable and just leaving them a short and sweet message? Ten seconds…

“Mom, thank you for cooking lunch every Sunday. Not only is it always delicious but it also makes our family slow down spend quality time in this crazy thing called life.”

3. It could be as simple as sending a text.

“Best friend, thank you for being you and being there for me.”

4. The next time you see something small and silly in a store that makes you think of some one, just get it.  Tell them it’s a ‘thank you’ for all they have ever done for you in the time you have known each other.

5. Tell them in person. Poke your head in their door or the next time you see them make a point to share with them how the phone call or email last week really helped you get our of your slump.

6. Why not go the old fashion route and send them a letter? Have you ever thought about sending your clients a thank you card? Thank them for trusting you with their possessions and I bet I could tell you who would get that call back for the next job.