Author by : Athena Louise

As the fall season rapidly approaches, and the weather starts getting a little brisker, Thanksgiving comes more mind. True, in south Florida we do not have beautiful fall colors of leaves turning red and yellow. We do not start wearing jackets against the cold wind coming down from the arctic. People are more likely to go to the beach on Thanksgiving. Shorts and sun block are still our daily wear.

Some people ignore this day. Others think of it as a time to get together with family. Football plays a big part with many people on this day. For some, it marks the beginning of the Christmas holiday season. I fall into the second category.

When I was divorced, and stayed in South Florida instead of going back to New York City, Thanksgiving became more important for me to celebrate because of my sons. Prior to that, it really did not matter to me. As my sons watched their friends get together with other family members on Thanksgiving, they began to feel very alone and basically forgotten. All of our relatives were up north. There were no family members to celebrate with. So I began to celebrate Thanksgiving for them. I would spend days cooking and preparing a feast. Turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, vegetables, cakes and pies, lots of pies, overflowed the table. True, as it was only the three of us, and most of the food became leftovers – but none of the pies. What I prepared did not matter. Having my sons feel important, did.

Over the years, this became our family tradition. No matter where I, or my sons, might be, we are together for Thanksgiving. They have taken over the preparation of food, but they still leave the baking of pies and cakes to me. They might laugh and say – ma you can’t cook for beans, but you sure can bake. Then they will bring up the one time I made a tuna noodle casserole that was so bad, even the dog refused to eat it. I might counter with instances they pulled while younger. All the good natured kidding is said with love, because it is not the meal that is important, it is being together that counts.

One year, after my sister had moved down to south Florida, we went to her home for the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. My nieces had flown in for the holiday weekend and it was really wonderful with all of us together. The only thing was my sister had catered the traditional feast. Everything tasted fine, but when she pulled out the packages of food from the caterer, my sons and I just looked at each other. For us, the preparation is just as important and catering lessens the day. Since that time, she and her family come to us for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving dinner has changed over the years. There is still the traditional turkey, potatoes, vegetables, etc. We have ham, lasagna and shrimp, among other dishes now served. We also have a few more people. Aside from my sister and her family, we now have my grandchildren, and friends that join the three of us.

Thanksgiving is more than just a holiday to celebrate. It is a time of peace, and joy and love.
The roots of family and family values are re-enforced. No matter what the following year might bring does not really matter, because the ties of love that bind us are made stronger.

Thanksgiving might be only one day a year, but each day I give thanks for having my sons in my life, and the love we share.

[tags]Thanksgiving, family values,[/tags]

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Author by : Leslie Fieger

I was not planning to write this article. Instead, I was going to publish an article about integrity. It has been on my mind this last week and I was planning to share some thoughts about it. Then, I received an email from Jim Donovan, one of the regular contributors to my Prosperity Paradigm eZine, and it inspired me to write once again about the magical power of gratitude.

Yes, the magical power.

Before I talk about the magic of gratitude, I want to talk about its opposite. Not the lack, not ingratitude; but resentfulness.

Powerful emotions attached to specific repetitive thoughts make things manifest. Intentional thought combined with heartfelt desire is how masters and winners create the circumstances and events of their lives. This powerful knowledge is one of the most crucial things a person who desires to be a creator instead of a mere creature needs to know and integrate into their life.

There is a dark side. Just as what you love/desire can come true, so too, as even the bible reminds us…that what you fear shall come to pass. You can witness the power of fear making things happen in many people’s lives. A victim’s attitude often creates events that cause that person to say, “see, I told you so.” They don’t, of course, know that it was their very own fear that attracted the bad thing into their life. The proverbial self-fulfilling prophecy.

It works the same with gratitude and resentfulness. When you walk around with the attitude of gratitude, life does not just seem better because of your psychological take on life, it actually is better because of the magic creative power of intentionally combining positive thought and positive emotion.

However, when you adopt the attitude of resentfulness, things don’t just seem bad…bad things actually do happen more often than they would otherwise. Resentfulness is insidious. Once you start to resent the circumstances and conditions of your life, you begin attracting more things into your life that you will not welcome UNTIL AND UNLESS you change your attitude. Some molehill appears and your resentfulness makes it into a mountain. The next thing you know, a real mountain shows up. Why? Because you attracted it. And now it is harder to be grateful instead of resentful.

That is why masters at the art of living see obstacles as an opportunity to learn, to grow, to become more powerful; and, winners see obstacles as proof that they are traveling the high road. They know that the flat, wide, easy road is the path of mediocrity. It is wide, flat and easy because it is well traveled by the majority who do not aspire or dare to achieve great things. or to challenge life and themselves to deliver more than the norm.

Losers resent winners. You see it all the time. The average person delights in the often public trials and tribulations of the high achievers. Losers do not ‘get it’ that it is their own resentfulness that makes them losers. They don’t get that the winner is grateful not just because things are going right, but because it is the gratitude that makes things go right in the first place.

If you want to be a winner, start being grateful; start existing in a constant state of thanksgiving. You don’t need some annual celebration of some romanticized historical event to feel grateful. As long as you are still breathing, you have much to be thankful for. You have, right now, the chance to make a meaningful difference in the lives of other people.

You have, right now, the chance to appreciate all you have been given. You have, right now, the chance to enjoy the pleasures of walking around on planet earth. Remember this, if you are reading this, you should know that you are better off than the overwhelming majority of other people on this planet.

Give thanks. You’ll end up with plenty to be grateful for.

Happy thanksgiving!

© Leslie Fieger. All rights reserved worldwide.

Leslie is the author of The DELFIN Knowledge System Trilogy: The Initiation, The Journey and The Quest plus many more success publications. He also the co-author of The End of the World with Hugh Jeffries and Alexandra’s DragonFire with his daughter Ashley. Subscribe to his free and ad-free eZine at http://www.ProsperityParadigm.com or http://www.LeslieFieger.com.

Reprinting and republishing of this article is granted only with the above credit included. Permission to reprint or republish does not waive any copyright.

[tags]gratitude,success,happiness,positive attitude,thanksgiving[/tags]

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Author by : Aaron Schwartz

Thanksgiving Day in America is a time to offer thanks, of family gatherings and holiday meals. A time of turkeys, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. A time for Indian corn, holiday parades and giant balloons.

In 1620 one of the first British settlements in America was established in Massachusetts. These settlers, known as Pilgrims, had come to America to freely practice their religion. They arrived in November, when it was too late to plant crops. Although many people died, the Pilgrims settlement survived the winter because of help from Indians who lived nearby. The Indians taught the Pilgrims about corn and showed them where to fish. The next November, after the crops were harvested, the pilgrims gave thanks to God at a feast to which they invited the Indians. The Pilgrim Governor William Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving to be shared by all the colonists and the neighboring Native Americans.

The 3rd year brought a spring and summer that was hot and dry with the crops dying in the fields. Governor Bradford ordered a day of fasting and prayer, and it was soon thereafter that the rain came. To celebrate – November 29th of that year was proclaimed a day of thanksgiving. This date is believed to be the real true beginning of the present day Thanksgiving Day.

Every year, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. It is celebrated on the 4th Thursday of November, which is November 27th this year. It marks the unofficial beginning to the winter holiday season.

Families and friends get together for a big feast. The meal usually includes roast turkey with stuffing and gravy, a sweet sauce made from cranberries, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie. A recent Thanksgiving tradition is to sit after dinner and watch professional football game on TV.

Thanksgiving is very much like Christmas. It is a day for families to get together. Many Americans spend hours driving to see their parents. The roads are crowded for a few day prior Thanksgiving.

In many parts of the world a day is set side to give thanks. The date and customs may vary from country to country but the desire to take time to reflect on life’s blessings remains the same.

The custom of an annually celebrated thanksgiving, held after the harvest, continued through the years. During the American Revolution (late 1770′s) a day of national thanksgiving was suggested by the Continental Congress. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln appointed a national day of thanksgiving. Since then each president has issued a Thanksgiving Day proclamation.

Thanksgiving is a day to remember people who are less well off in America throughout the world. It is also a good occasion to thank for everything you have.

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[tags]Thanksgiving Day, America,time to offer thanks, of family gatherings and holiday meals. A t[/tags]

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