Day 26: THANKSGIVING (5 Ideas for Daily Thanks-Living)
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everysituation, by prayer and petition, withthanksgiving, present your request to God.Philippians 4:6 (NIV)
The Typical Two
I’ve heard of two primary ways to focus on thankfulness.
1) Keep track of what I’m thankful for (i.e. in a gratitude journal)
2) Share my gratitude with those for whom I’m thankful (i.e. by writing a thank-you note)
A New (for Me) # Three
But yesterday, I discovered a new way (new for me, at least!) to focus on thankfulness.
In preparation for today’s blog post, I asked this question throughout the day:
“What’s one thing you’re thankful for right now?”
I was happily overwhelmed by the sheer number of responses I got.
And I marveled at the diversity, the depth, the humor, and the honesty of each answer.
I kept thinking, “Me, too!” or “Oh, yeah!” or “I’d forgotten!” or “That’s so true.”
Every person’s expression of gratitude triggered thankfulness in me.
What If…
I started wondering:
What might happen if “What’s one thing you’re thankful for right now?” became my favorite conversation starter?
I don’t have an answer for you yet.
(But I will!)
In the meantime, here are five ideas for daily “Thanks-Living,” the first being to do what I did yesterday: ask others what they’re thankful for.
Try it!
Then come on back and tell us what you learned about them, yourself, and gratitude!
Five Ideas for Daily Thanks Living
1. Ask other people, “What’s one thing you’re thankful for right now?”
2. Thankful Thanksgiving Activity Countdown
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3. Gratitude Journal
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4. Perpetual Gratitude Calendar
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5. Gratitude Jar
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Your Turn:
- What hands-on project(s) have you done as a physical reminder to be thankful?
- What’s one thing you’re thankful for right now?
- Anything else on your heart!
Start Your Holiday Ready Heart Journey Here:
- How It Works (via Bullet Points & Videos!)
- Day 1: LOVED (+ 2 Vital Questions to Ask NOW)
- Day 2: CHOSEN – Making Right Holiday Choices
- Day 3: COMPLETE (+ 5 Gift-Giving Questions)
- Day 4: PURE (+ Goodbye, Ghosts of Christmas Past)
- Day 5: RIGHTEOUS (+ Rituals vs. Relationships)
- Day 6: FORGIVEN (+ The Story I Choose to Tell)
- Day 7: FREE (+ 14+ Ways to Enjoy “Free” Holy-Days!)
- Day 8: VICTORIOUS (+ Heading Off Holiday Hurts)
- Day 9: NEW (+ The Power to Get or to Give?)
- Day 10: CONFIDENT (+ 10 Ways to Keep Christ in Christmas)
- Day 11: MASTERPIECE (+ Being Content With What I DO Have)
- Day 12: INSEPARABLE (+ Missing Loved Ones at the Holidays)
- Day 13: DELIVERED (+ Why the Holidays Can Overwhelm)
- Day 14: TRUST (+ How Each PURSE-onality Can Get Day Overwhelmed)
- Day 15: PATIENT (+ Practicing Now for Patience Then)
- Day 16: NO RECORD (+ How to Have Grudge-Free Holidays)
- Day 17: TRUTH (Each PURSE-onality’s Take on Truth)
- Day 18: PERSEVERE (+2 Cures for Procrastination)
- Day 19: BLESS (Your Feelings Can Help You Choose)
- Day 20: BUILDING (20+ Ways to Build with Words)
- Day 21: HOLD (Hold Back, Let Go, and Step Up)
- Day 22: FRUIT (I Didn’t Think…I Was a People-Pleaser!)
- Day 23: CLEANSE (A Holiday-Ready Home)
- Day 24: REJOICE (We Share the Same Heart Rate)
- Day 25: NEAR (“Everything Else” or Emmanuel?)
I love the idea of the perpetual gratitude box too. I am doing a 1000 gifts journal, from aholyexperience. I am enjoying it. Sometimes my things are mundane but it helps me think.
I asked my 13 year old dd what she was thankful for right now and she thought I was crazy. She finally said, “Because there are only 8 keys in an octave”. She was playing the keyboard as I asked her.
Right now, I am thankful that supper is cooking, little ones are outside playing and I can try and catch up on this challenge. I always feel like I am playing catch up on everything. It is so hard for me to keep up with things.
God Bless,
Kim in NC
love this idea of the perpetual gratitude box…I am sure each day you would look back at years past and be so thankful you have that record of the little things we so often forget! going to have to try it somehow
Cute ideas!! We used to have a thankfulness jar growing up. Every new year, we’d open the jar and read all of the blessings of the previous year. It was fun to remember all the things God did for us that year.
In terms of fostering gratitude, nothing beats spending time with the less fortunate. I was able to take my kids to read to ventilator dependent children once a month. When life got busy we stopped going until I heard my 14 year old say, “I am in SUCH a bad mood, I just have to go to the nursing home!” A quick trip and a few recitings of “Where the Wild Things Are” and life was back to normal.
One Christmas when the kids were getting too old to make the annual gingerbread house we took all of the ingredients to the nursing home. Three 5 year olds, each with a teenage helper, piling on peppermints and licorice pieces everywhere. Walls caved in, trees were on the roof. It was by far the most beautiful gingerbread house ever made!