I come from small family. It is just my mom, dad, and myself. We use to hang a lot with my extended family on my dad’s side. We use to have a big family gathering over my aunt and uncle’s home. Playing with my cousins was always the highlight of the holidays for me. It was always a tradition to say what you were thankful for on Thanksgiving and then would proceed with gracing the food. Over the course of time things change, cousins get older, they have family of their home, and then you have some family members that hold grudges. For the past few years it has just been my mom, dad, and myself. My dad is not the most social person, usually Thanksgiving is just my mom and myself. My daddy is pretty content with is solitude. So you can find me helping my mom peel the potatoes, and mixing up the sweet potatoes batter for the pies. Soon after you find us reminiscing on how things use to me be back when I was small. Laughing at the past or talking about movies we seen over and over again. We always lead back to how I use play with my cousins. How we all use to be. All the loud noises of laughter and glee.
I really down thinking about how things use to be. It is not the same feeling I use to have as kid. I miss how my family use to be. Now it seems like just another day. When I am feeling sad, especially about my family, I remember to practice gratitude during the tough times. I find myself being appreciative of what I do have. I have both of my parents and even. Gratitude is something that can be practice everyday not just on Thanksgiving. This practice alone packs a lot if benefit and can improve your overall wellness.
First of all gratitude is simply the quality of being thankful, and having appreciation for something. Instead of showing your appreciation and gratefulness during the holiday, express it everyday. We all having something to be thankful for. Here is a few ways on how to practice gratitude.
- Gratitude journal: Write down the things you are thankful for. It helps seeing your positive thoughts on paper. You can always go back and look at you positive thoughts. I write down all the things I grateful for the day each day. It forces me to be present.
- Appreciate everything big & small: Be thankful for everything. Don’t just show out for big things. Appreciate those small things too. It could be something as simple as appreciate the sunny weather outside. When practicing gratitude you don’t want to leave out anything out.
- Practice gratitude in negative times: Gratitude is not only for positive experiences. Thinking and going through difficult times can really help with putting thing into perspective. It can really open you eyes to what you have to be thankful for.
- Volunteer: Helping others can always make you feel good.
The benefits of practicing gratitude can improve your overall happiness. It also improves self esteem and it helps with empathy. Gratitude helps us all realize and appreciate what we already have. We get to see our situation in a different light. This quote below, in my opinion, describes the benefits of practicing gratitude:
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptances, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.
-melody beattie
In conclusion to my story above I learn to appreciate what I already have. My family situation might be a bit off right now but gratitude helps me appreciate my little family. Any chance I get I try to spend my time with my mom and dad. They are all I have and I love them dearly. When you think about it, time is not on our parents side. So I cherish all my moments that I have with them. Ultimately, practicing gratitude helps me understand that my situation is not that bad. I get to hang with my mom. I talk and learn from her. I get to crack jokes with my dad. I am truly content !
What are you grateful for ?
I am grateful you all, the readers. If you have made to end of this post I want to say thank you so much for being a reader of my blog. I really appreciate all the likes, the comments, and subscriptions. I really warms my heart.
I want to say have a Happy Thanksgiving and be safe!
Let me know below in the comments section what your grateful fo. We are friends you can tell me ?
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