Are You Displaying an Attitude of Gratitude?

I am thankful for sunrises & sunsets!

We are entering a time when we focus on Thanksgiving here in America.  Yet it follows on the heals of some very tragic events.  Our world has been full of sad events this year.  Fires, Hurricanes, Monsoons, Earth Quakes, Terrorism, Violence, and so much more.  

Perhaps even your family has personally been touched by tragedy.  Yet In order to move on we need to find reason's to be thankful.  It is an important skill we need to model for our children and share with adults around us.  So how can we do that?

Let's look at the definition of THANKFULNESS first:

1. It is to be conscious of the benefit we received or are about to received

2. To express thanks

3. To be pleased 

Now to move on to GRATITUDE:

1. The quality of being thankful.

2. The readiness to show appreciation for something.

3. To return kindness. 

I know all day long I am watched by little eyes, and listened to with little ears taking in how I handle a situation. If I hold resentment or frustration they see it.  So I must first, check my own feelings and then find positive ways to express gratitude or find something good in the situation.

If they see this modeled enough they will soon practice it and soon it will become a habit for all of us.

I am not in anyway suggesting this is an easy thing to do.  

It is a choice.  

Like many choices we are faced with; the right one is not always the easy one. I had Ovarian cancer in 2008.  I had to choose to have chemotherapy.  I am thankful it worked and I am now 8 years cancer free.  I was worn out, tired and lost my hair.  Yet I am thankful I did not have the sever nausea some people have.  I was able to work most days and I had a care team that worked around my schedule so I could spend days with my kids at school because they realized the children kept me moving going.

When stress hit you at work, do you shake it off and find joy in the children in your care?  Or do you chew on the frustration missing the good around you? How can you find the good and be thankful?

Being thankful is contagious.  It eventually wears off on others.  They look to you to help them find the positive in life and soon they too are sharing an attitude of gratitude with others. What a gift to teach children young.  Perhaps the more we model it the less anger, violence and hate will will see becomes it will come more naturally and those in our care will teach others around them throughout their life to be Thankful in all things.

Some of my Favorite Books:

The Bernstein Bears Giant Pumpkin

Stone Soup

The Giving Tree 

Thank You For Thanksgiving 

The Relatives Came 

 

Some helpful links:

• 1. https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/spiritual-growth-for-kids/gratitude/teaching-thankfulness

  2. http://www.pbs.org/parents/special/article-ten-ways-raise-grateful-kid.html
     https://www.jellytelly.com/blog/three-bible-stories-teach-kids-thankfulness
     https://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/Community/Pages/12-Tips-for-Teaching-Children-Gratitude.aspx 
     https://www.babble.com/kid/10-childrens-books-to-inspire-grateful-young-hearts/