Are You Thankful?

By Ettie Rutherford
Contributing Columnist

Last week Monday, I was very much aware of the significance of people all over the world celebrating Thanksgiving Day in different cultural, religious and personal ways.

Being thankful is such an important part of our daily life that focusing on one day per year for its recognition is almost sacrilegious.

The other day a friend asked how I was doing and I said, “I’m okay. I am one of the lucky ones”. She told me in no uncertain terms that there is no such thing as luck, and that I should always say, “I am one of the Blessed ones”. How very true.

However, it seems that because many of us are so truly blessed, compared to millions the world over, we take our blessings for granted and so, do not give thanks as much as we should.

How then can we be more thankful on a consistent basis? It would do us well to consider the following:

> Instead of worrying about past challenges or losses we need to be thankful that we have survived;

> We need to be mindful of and assist those who are hurting so that we will see how much blessings we assume to be our right;

> We need to be thankful for our family members, their good health and their successes;

> We need to appreciate the goods and services which we enjoy at the expense of others in far away countries;

> Shelter, food and clean drinking water should draw an extra amount of gratitude, considering the many all over the world that are bereft of such daily amenities; and

> Medical care as well as medical supplies should always be seen as blessings to illicit heartfelt thanks.

Consequently, it would be worthwhile for us to be thankful, on a daily basis, for all that makes our lives so comfortable, bearing in mind that even the discomforts and challenges, which assail us, can be alleviated through government and community services.

So, with joyful hope let us accept the fact that everyday must be Thanksgiving Day.

In Sisterhood!

Ettie
Award-winning Ettie Rutherford, B.Ed, Dip.Ed, M.Ed, is an educator, life coach, consultant and author of “Why Perch Like A Chick When You Can Soar Like An Eagle?”. An accomplished public speaker, Ettie is the Founder and CEO of Women Are Worthy, which provides step-by-step strategies for women to achieve their goals, with a minimum amount of stress. She can be reached at ettie@womenrworthy.com