Being grateful.

It's that time of year to take some moments to think about what we have to be thankful about. We're pretty busy people, you know, trying to make a living, trying to survive in a world that can be a scary place. So we have a special day, our Thanksgiving, where we gather with family and friends to remember our blessings.

I found a few quotes I thought I'd share a few with you.

Many are religious, saying that our blessings come from above:

George Washington in his first Presidential Proclamation:
"It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor."—October 3, 1789

Seneca Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy:
"Our Creator shall continue to dwell above the sky, and that is where those on earth will end their thanksgiving."

Here is the proclamation that created this holiday:

Samuel Adams, father of the American Revolution:
"It is therefore recommended ... to set apart Thursday the eighteenth day of December next, for solemn thanksgiving and praise, that with one heart and one voice the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts and consecrate themselves to the service of their divine benefactor ..."—November 1, 1777 (adopted by the 13 states as the first official Thanksgiving Proclamation)

Here's a reminder of the benefits of instilling gratitude in our children:


Sir John Templeton:
"How wonderful it would be if we could help our children and grandchildren to learn thanksgiving at an early age. Thanksgiving opens the doors. It changes a child's personality. A child is resentful, negative—or thankful. Thankful children want to give, they radiate happiness, they draw people."


Here are quotes from our leaders:

Theodore Roosevelt:
"Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds."—1901


John Fitzgerald Kennedy:
"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."

From a philosopher:

"He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has."
— Epictetus

From Comedians:

"Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence."
— Erma Bombeck

"Here I am 5 o'clock in the morning stuffing bread crumbs up a dead bird's butt."
— Roseanne Barr

From the unjustly imprisoned:

Anne Frank:
"I do not think of all the misery, but of the glory that remains. Go outside into the fields, nature and the sun, go out and seek happiness in yourself and in God. Think of the beauty that again and again discharges itself within and without you and be happy."

From our Governor:

Arnold Schwarzenegger
I love Thanksgiving turkey... it's the only time in Los Angeles that you see natural breasts.

From the Dalai Lama:

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

Me? I'm grateful to have a job that is rewarding, a daughter and her family who are healthy, friends who care, and constant reminders of my need to grow and be a better person. I remember a while back that Oprah took one day a week on her show to have people focus on what they have to be grateful for and everyone single one later said that their lives had been dramatically changed by thinking about their blessings. So I vote we be glass-full people, that we recognize our riches, and that we realize the greatest joys in life are free.