Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, many of us will gather around a table with friends and family to celebrate. We will eat too much, we will move too little, but one thing for sure, gratitude will be at the forefront of it all.
Before you hop out of bed tomorrow morning I am going to ask you to do this one simple exercise that is sure to start your day off right. Spend a few moments saying “thank you” for all that you have. Be in a state of gratitude for the people in your life, the comforts you enjoy, and the warmth and safety that you feel. Even be thankful for the people that are difficult to be thankful for – thank them for keeping you on your toes and teaching you patience (or the ability to keep your mouth shut even though it is filling up with so much to say!).
Here is a fun idea to bring this feeling of gratitude to your guests as well. Make some place holders with each guest’s name and the reason you are thankful for having them in your life (that morning exercise could come in really handy here). Also give them the opportunity to express their gratitude. Buy a white tablecloth for your Thanksgiving table. Provide some permanent markers to your guests and ask them to write what they are thankful for in 2011. Hold onto that tablecloth and use it again in 2012 and every year! It will be fun for everyone to see and remember what they have been thankful for over the years.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all! Please share some of your Thanksgiving traditions with me below.
What terrific ideas Jill. You are so creative! Even though I am not hosting Thanksgiving this year I think I will take it upon myself to implement some of these.
Happy Thanksgiving to your family.