By Rev. Jan Seward"Thanksgiving will keep the heart fresh;
for true thanksgiving may be likened to rain falling upon ready soil, refreshing it and increasing its
productiveness." (Charles Fillmore)
All of us have reasons to be grateful. Usually, the word implies we have received something. We often
think of gratitude as that warm feeling we get from someone else's generosity. We are particularly grateful when we get unexpected gifts from those who owe us nothing. Within a family, we expect
such acts of love because we are close to one another.
But gratitude doesn't always come from being a receiver. Gratitude is warmest when it accompanies the
joy of being able to give without expecting anything in return. We find it isn't enough just to feel grateful.
We have to express our gratitude by showing kindness and service to those around us. Gratitude is the
greatest of all heart-openers. When it enters the heart, love pours out. For every kindness we receive, gratitude inspires a hundred acts of giving.
So I invite you this Thanksgiving, whether you feast alone or with family or
friends, to enjoy all that time. Enjoy the turkey, enjoy the stuffing, enjoy the pumpkin pie, or whatever else you consume. But don't allow these things to
anesthetize you to the greater joy of knowing the everlasting love of God --because it's a power beyond everything else that is ours, when we open
ourselves in gratitude to that power. Gratitude works if you work it!
ENJOY A HAPPY AND BLESSED THANKSGIVING!
Rev. Jan Seward
Gratitude Works