Blessings and Thankfulness

Blessings  and Thankfulness

Blessings come in all sizes and many forms, but the one thing they have in common is that they are all the good things in our lives.  For most of us, what we have been blessed with we become accustomed to and generally take them for granted. Health, home, family, communities, and opportunities. We don’t think about them too much until we cross paths with those who are not so blessed.

What we often don’t realize is that sometimes true blessings come in the form of something that is withheld or doesn’t materialize – something that we may have thought we wanted or needed.  What do most of us do when that happens? That depends upon our disposition and perspective.  Because none of us can foresee the future, we don’t know what the potential outcome would be for any of our actions or inactions, but for those that live by faith, we trust that everything will work out, regardless of what comes our way. That car that cut you off, or that phone call that prevented you from leaving your home at a particular time and delayed your arrival by minutes. You don’t know what that prevented.

The synchronicity of the timing in our lives is a divine mystery that is hard to fathom. How each of us arrived at this particular point in life is the direct result of a complex series of events for which we all need to be thankful.

Thankfulness is a state of mind.

Thankfulness isn’t relegated to one day of the year. It is the state of your heart and mind. This is what determines one’s level of contentment in life. When we express our thankfulness, our brains release serotonin and dopamine, which in turn, make us feel better. Being thankful also helps us get through the inevitable struggles we all face from time to time in this journey called life.

 

Thankful people are healthier.

Researchers have found that when we are thankful, we have higher energy levels. This also strengthens our heart and immune systems, and those benefits have the potential to lengthen our lifespans.

Thankful people are happy people.

There is a direct link between thankfulness and happiness, health, and well-being. It’s on our focus. When our thoughts dwell on what we do not have we see everything else in a negative light. Our thinking changes, and over time, it affects our quality of life.

Cicero once said, “A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues.”

Blessings to all.

 

published in Jackson Living community magazine, November 2020