Gratitude
Gratitude is being thankful and grateful for what we have. November is a perfect month for considering how much we have to be thankful for since Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday. The first Thanksgiving was in 1621 and was held to celebrate the harvest that had just been gathered after the first colonists had survived a very harsh winter. George Washington was the first to declare a Thanksgiving holiday in 1789 and by the mid-1800’s, Sarah Hale, a poet and editor, began lobbying for a national holiday. In 1863 Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day and in 1941 Congress declared through joint resolution that the fourth Thursday would be henceforth known as Thanksgiving Day. Taking time out of our busy lives to be grateful for the opportunities we have allows us to appreciate being a citizen of the United States of America.
Following are some quotes to remind us of the importance of being grateful.
“It is easy for us to complain about things we do not have. Instead, let’s be grateful for our many gifts and be willing to share them with others.”
Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.
William Arthur Ward
“There are so many reasons to give thanks. Make a list of all the things and people who make a difference in your life and find a way to show your thanks this week.”
“True happiness can only be found when we learn to be content with what we have.”
“Gratitude preserves old friendships, and procures new.”
“Good cheer is something more than faith in the future; it is gratitude for the past and joy in the present.”
“Gratitude is the most exquisite form of courtesy.” Jacques Maritain
“A person, however learned and qualified in his life’s work in whom gratitude is absent, is devoid of that beauty of character which makes personality fragrant.” Hazrat Inavat Khan
“Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.” Brian Tracy[1]
Consult 4 Kids has a long history of advocating for youth and the adults who are their positive role models and mentors. To learn more about our work, please visit our website at www.consultforkids.com, email us at support@consultfourkids.com or call us at (661) 617-7055.
[1] http://www.lle.rcs.k12.tn.us/Teachers/guidance_page/quotes/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20The%20Character%20Trait%20for%20November%20is%20GRATITUDE.pdf