11/24/2025
Acts of Kindness, Thoughts of Thankfulness
My mind is buzzing as Thanksgiving approaches, thinking of family, friends, food, football, trips, and all the things. Decorate the table, create the menu, make a list, go to the supermarket (at least twice and probably more) - all in preparation for creating a memorable Thanksgiving. Getting all the pieces set in motion, as in all special times, takes an extra dose of physical and mental energy. Whether I care to admit it or not, this season can be exhausting and stressful.
I’m habitually an early riser. In the stillness of the morning, just as the sun begins to shed light on my corner of the world, is my time to dive deeply into subjects weighing on my heart. This morning was no exception as I asked myself, "do my actions and thoughts give witness to my being thankful?"
Answering my own question required reminiscing on a recent trip to the supermarket. Instead of pushing and pulling two grocery carts stacked to the brim down the aisles, staunchly guarding my place in the checkout line, and weaseling between vehicles to get out of the parking lot, maybe, just maybe it should be about fewer items in my cart and placing a few items in the meal box going to a struggling family. Maybe, just maybe, it's about moving to the back of the checkout line so the mom with four impatient youngsters and the lady with only 3 items in her basket can be on their way. Maybe, just maybe, it's about being patient in traffic and not honking when someone cuts in line without even a wave. Truth is, if kindness and thankfulness are on my mind there should not be any “maybes” about it! At the end of the day, every day, it's the acts and thoughts that either amplify or reduce stress and define who I am.
It's the hype of Thanksgiving that brings acute awareness to being thankful - after all, the word doesn't exist if you remove 'thank'. Imagine a world where thankful is the norm every day - my imagination isnt large enough; is yours?
Gratitude is an attitude. What I focus on, where I find joy, and how I embrace life's experiences cultivate my thoughts. The essence of thankful thinking enhances well-being which leads to greater happiness, stronger relationships, and increased resilience to deal with challenges. Self-examination indicates I pattern the opposite; I get twisted up in the challenges, build a mountain out a mole hill, build a wall instead of a bridge, and focus on everything that's wrong in my world. Perhaps you've had similar experiences.
Thoughts of thankfulness shift the mind from lack-to-abundance and from panic-to-peace. It sounds like a difficult process but in actuality it is simple. I am, afterall, in charge of what I allow myself to do and think.
I've created a lengthy list, item-by-item, two columns per page, labeled My 2025 Thankful List. There are several pages and reading through the 'list' 365 days of the year isn't going to happen. Yet, at the end of every day, it is the thoughts of thankfulness and acts of kindness that make a difference. What I can do is put into practice what Meister Eckhart, a German theologian, suggested 700 years ago, "if the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is "thank you" it will be enough." The challenge is before me - pray “thank you” enough to make a difference in my acts of kindness and thoughts of thankfulness!
Blessings ... Kris
