Thanksgiving

Another year has passed, and hopefully, I'm just a wee bit wiser. My birthday falls within a week of Thanksgiving so I might add this post is about giving thanks and gratitude.

I'm thankful for God putting up with me and be patient with me as I try to find my way through the daily journey that is life.

I am thankful for my family's constant and unwavering support. I'm grateful for each and every one of them and I should show it more. I am thankful for my few friends, both old and new (You know who you are) who have been there for me, through good times and the bad, especially the bad.

 I am thankful that I have a publisher who's been willing to publish me, even though I've been on a self-imposed publishing sabbatical for personal reasons. I'm thankful for my editors and publishers who have put up with my unique creative process. I've been inspirationally constipated for the longest time.

Now,  some people perceive what gratefulness means in terms of friendship.  Gratefulness and gratitude towards one's family and friends is a state of mind. It's about mutual respect, kindness, thoughtfulness, and consideration.

Gratefulness does not necessarily mean paying back favors though, naturally, one would want to do everything and anything to help a true friend and vice versa; it does not mean tit for tat, or I do this for you, so you should do that for me - That is no measure of gratefulness or of friendship. Gratitude or gratefulness means listening, even though  you may not agree with what is being said. It means you give the other party a chance to speak rather than dismissing them thoughtlessly. It means admitting one's  mistakes (no one is ever 100% right all of the time). It means wanting to do all you can to help whenever and where ever help is needed, no questions asked.

Gratitude towards others means appreciating people for who they are, not judging them or thinking one is always right when no one is right all the time. Gratitude is not about disparaging or mocking another person. Gratitude is about appreciating the people in your life, not taking them for granted and not taking advantage of them.

One can even have gratitude for those who have hurt oneself,  Be grateful for the lessons they have taught you. It does not matter if they don't have any remorse or guilt, forgive them anyway. They've given you an invaluable lesson. 

So this Thanksgiving, I am grateful to God, (Should make more of a concerted effort to put Him first), family, friends, and everyone who has ever taught me something.