Thanksgiving Should Be More Than One Day a Year

One of my favorite holidays is Thanksgiving. Many people make plans to drive long distances to be with family and friends on Thanksgiving Day. Every year in November, a proclamation is issued by our government setting aside a day in which we are to express our thanks. It seems rather strange we would have to wait on the government to proclaim a day when we would reflect upon blessings enough to utter the two words, “Thank you.”

We all know people who spend the majority of their time finding something to complain or gripe about. Nothing seems to ever be right to those people with a wrong and negative attitude about life. We know bad things do happen to people. There are many negative events occurring in every life each year. That is life. It is not easy to face the negative and difficult things coming our way. It seems it is easy to develop a victim spirit. When the bad that happens begins to mount up it is to believe we are being punished for something or that life has dealt us a bad hand and we will always have to deal with the negative coming our way. I have lived long enough to observe certain people who could be complaining and griping all the time because truly it seems every way they turn, bad is coming their way.

The interesting thing to me is the number of times when I have wanted to complain and looked around and found someone in much worse shape than me and they were smiling and facing the issues with a positive attitude. I am certain that wrong-headed negative way of thinking develops and is a hard cycle to break. I am just as certain that developing a good positive spirit and facing life as it comes and learning to weigh the issues in balance allows a person to develop the right type of positive attitude about life and the issues that come their way.

This Thanksgiving, when we gather with family and the table is covered over with more than an abundance of food to eat, let us pause long enough to reflect upon the good that has happened while not allowing the negative to rule the day. Learning to see the good in others and the good happening to us could go a long way toward changing our spirit and attitude as we face whatever else we might have to face in life. If it is possible this Thanksgiving, take the time to express your thanksgiving for the positive blessings that have come into your life in the last year.

From where I stand, I have discovered that when expressing thanks, other positive items will come forward in ones thinking which then draws up more thanksgiving. For all who read this column, receive my thanksgiving for taking the time to read my opinions each week. My wish for you is that you will have a happy Thanksgiving Day.

Follow Ray Newman on Twitter @RayNewmanSr

Editor's note: This column was originally published on Nov. 16, 2012