A Season of Giving, A Season of Gratitude
As 2022 slowly comes to an end, gratitude is a spirit that’s usually in front and center for many people during this season. However, this time of year can also be hectic. In the midst of the holiday bustle, climatic upheavals or sickness, wars and other natural and unnatural devastations, it can be easy to lose sight of what we’re thankful for.
Let us never forget that life is only as precious as we make it. It consists not only of material goods but mainly of love and feelings for others. And coupled with that is hope for a better tomorrow. “I complained because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet”
I wish to share the following essay for it expresses the thoughts we too often forget; a short story with a moral being thankful.:
“A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held a sign which said: “I am blind, please help.”
There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words. Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who changed the sign came by to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, “Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?”
The man said, “I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way. I wrote: “Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it.”
Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?
“Isn’t it funny, in a sort of way, how often we get so mired down in every day depressions like bills, job responsibilities and such until we forget just how lucky we are to be alive?
“It can take something as simple as a shock, a severe car wreck or as in my recent experience, serious food poisoning, to realize just how lucky we are simply to be alive!
“Every day we seem to have something that ticks us off or makes us obsessed about how we fell short or how others fell short in our accomplishments. Or perhaps we complain about what we do not have or the amount that we do have. We seem to have less than the other guys, fewer luxuries, fewer toys, less money, less influence, etc., whine and complain. No matter just how much we may actually have, it never seems to be enough.
“Well, here is a word of advice from silly me. If you do not have the money, toys, the luxuries be HAPPY anyway! Because when you stop and think about it. If you had all those things and your wife, husband, child, or parents had only 24 hours to live, what would you do?
“Would you trade all of your possessions in the world for a few extra hours? Or would you hold on to them as the most important things in the world? After all, possessions are just things! What makes you breathe, think, cry, laugh, and exist is LIFE!
“I get caught up in “He who has the most toys, etc.” too. But each lesson that brings me into perspective seems to be increasingly severe. So, I have made a decision to concentrate on the individual joys in each individual minute. Flowers, Sunshine, Love of my family, Breathing. Yes, I am going to concentrate on being GRATEFUL!”-Author unknown
Moral: Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively. When life gives you 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1,000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear. The most beautiful thing to see is a person smiling. and even more beautiful, knows that you are the reason behind it!
As a parting gift of 2022, do this:
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.”-Oren Miller
We all have something to be grateful. Look around us and see how others are doing. Walk through any hospital ward, Switch on your TV to see everyday devastations going on in many countries, and view pictures of homeless families. Yes, times are tough and dollars are scarce and the economy is in turmoil, but there is always something to be thankful for… Live life…
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