The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
By Elaine Slater Reese
Guest Editorial For The Quill
My dictionary defines THANKSGIVING DAY as a day in November set apart each year for thanksgiving and praise to God.
Interesting - it appears to me that it is a day for families to get together, for football games, for talk of deer hunting, and most of all, for stuffing ourselves with all the great food.
At some tables, grace is said. At some tables, each person may say one or two things for which they are thankful. But actually, I seldom hear the word thankful. What I do hear is "I AM SO FULL!!! I can't eat another bite! Why did I eat all that?"
This year I do want to enjoy the turkey, dressing, gravy and all that goes with it. I will be full. But I don't want to be so full I am miserable.
What I want is to work at focusing on the word FULL. I have a definite need in my life to be more FULL. However, I want to be a different kind of full.
I want to be FORGETFUL. (Yes, I forget where the car keys are or why I went to the basement!)
But I want to work at being forgetful - to forget what I have carried around for so long that I thought someone did to me. I will forget all the times life was not fair - no one ever promised that it would be.
I will forget all the things I wanted and don't have. I will focus on what I do have. I will look around and immediately see someone else whose life is much more complicated than mine.
I will be THOUGHTFUL - especially of others. What a great season of the year to start doing this! I can take an hour and visit some in the nursing home. All I have to do there is listen to their stories.
I can drop a box of food or toys on someone's porch. I can take time to call someone I know is hurting. And most of all, I can pray for or with someone.
I will be THANKFUL. For the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas I will draw a large Christmas stocking and place on the refrigerator. Each day, I will fill the stocking with words of thanks for a blessing in my life.
And I will be JOYFUL! When I think about it, I wonder if I can actually go one whole hour without complaining about something - either verbally or mentally.
I will focus on enjoying what I have been given. Any changes in this old world can only start one person at a time. I am determined to be FULL of different thoughts!!!!