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As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~~John F. Kennedy
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. ~~Melody Beattie
Gratitude is one of the strongest and most transformative states of being. It shifts your perspective from lack to abundance and allows you to focus on the good in your life, which in turn pulls more goodness into your reality. ~~Jen Sincero
Sometimes we should express our gratitude for the small and simple things like the scent of the rain, the taste of your favorite food, or the sound of a loved one's voice. ~~Joseph B. Wirthlin
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There's a lot of ruckus (at least in the US) about the origins of the Thanksgiving holiday. Then there are many countries that don't have a 'thanksgiving' holiday. All of that aside, to me, at least, it is a day to be grateful for all that we have. Even in the years when we didn't have much of anything, there was still much to be thankful for. That is what we celebrated and acknowledged. And, everyone can.
I remember one Thanksgiving when the kids were still little. It was the mid-90s and we were living on roughly $5000 a year. Given $300/mo in rent, plus utilities, that left about $50/month for food. I was the absolute Queen of Scrounge! My mom, who was living on social security, didn't have much more, but she won a turkey and all the fixings from the local library because her grandkids read the most books during the previous year. In fact, they beat the previous record by over 200 books ... each!
Thanksgiving morning, I bundled up the three kids and we headed to Grammy's house about a half-hour away. On a country road, in the snow, in the middle of Nowhere, Michigan, we got a flat tire. A single mom, I knew well, how to change a tire. But I couldn't get the lug-nuts on my old Pinto loose. After a frustrating half-hour, with freezing fingers (because I didn't know where my gloves were, and cold kids getting rambunctious on the side of the road, a car with the backseat full of kids pulls over and the dad gets out asking if I need some help. He gets the nuts loose easily and changes the tire. Meanwhile, my kids have made friends with his kids. As we are exchanging thank yous and saying goodbye, my son hollers for us to wait. He gets back out of the car and gives the boy, about his age, his gloves because, "Mom, he doesn't have any!" The boy was happy as punch and the dad was embarrassed, but we then each went on our way.
Later, doing the whole "Say something you are grateful for" around the table, my son says, "I'm thankful we got a flat tire so I could give my gloves to the boy who didn't have any."
One of the best Thanksgivings EVER! The following week, when my son was outside, in the snow, trying to make snowballs with no gloves, I gave him mine, which I'd since found, to wear. "No, Mom. Then you might need them and they would be all wet. I'm just glad that other boy has gloves to wear when he wants to play in the snow. Thanks. Giving. His dad helped us; I helped his son."
What are you thankful for? Whether or not you celebrate Thanksgiving, it is always good to be aware of what one has. Perhaps even write a poem about gratitude. Because, when we stop and think about it, we always have so much to be grateful for! Whether we are amidst family or alone thousands of miles from home, have tons to eat or make a turkey from an apple and construction paper, are down on our luck or sitting pretty: we are here and that, in and of itself, is huge!
This year, I am especially grateful for some new friends I've made this year, that hubby and I are muddling along (per usual) and that I've been in a mind-place where I'm done a ton of writing. Now, if I can only get the house clean, find the dining room table (that suffers from an intense case of 'flat-surface-itus') and about a zillion other things, I'll have even more to be grateful for!
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Bikerider  writes: Thank you for another interesting newsletter, Fyn. You make a lot of good points. And thank you for highlighting my short story. In your newsletter, you mention going back to stories written long ago. I do that fairly often, it shows me how far I've come after joining WDC where I've learned a lot and made many friends. A case in point; about 12 years ago, shortly after I retired, I wrote a long story about my grandparent's very interesting and sad life. About 6 months ago I revisited the story and thought, "Did I really write this?" I've since rewritten the story using what I've learned from WDC members and now the story is slowly becoming a novel. Again, thanks for an informative newsletter.
You are most welcome! It is great when folks let me know that my efforts are well received and I'm not just writing into a void!
dogpack saving 4premium  comments: I agree WDC is wonderful! Writing is an adventure that I enjoy experiencing. This year I experienced for the first time the story and characters doing its and their own things. It was strange as the characters said and did stuff I hadn't decided they should do. The story moved in a direction I didn't expect it to do. Allowing my imagination to go where ever it wanted and do whatever it decided to do was an exciting experience.
And that is a huge step! :)
Beholden  says: Thank you very much for including my short story, Ghosted Memoirs, among your Editor's picks.
Was a perfect match!
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Poetry: November 24, 2021 Issue [#11088]
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