by Christine Baker
If you ask me what my favorite holiday of the year is, I would not tell you Thanksgiving. This is probably only due to the sheer magnitude of cooking/work that’s required. Yet, it’s for this very reason that if you ask my husband what his favorite holiday is, he’ll say without blinking, “Thanksgiving.”
I wish I could say my personal nature lent to being one of a grateful heart. But this would not be true. Nonetheless, gratitude is a virtue I esteem to take hold, possess, and model. Years ago when our little family was established and we began to have our own Thanksgiving meal at our little, humble home, we started a tradition before praying and eating – everyone has to say one thing they are thankful for.
The boys are all grown now, but they remember it and look forward to it every year.
So this month’s writing is a little different. Instead of a local review or a garden update, I’m giving you a glimpse into what many say about what it takes to have a grateful heart. I urge you, just as I am, to make your own gratitude list, written or mental, from time to time. It does a body and soul good.
Voltaire, a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher said, “Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.”
A Vietnamese Proverb says, “When eating fruit, remember the one who planted the tree.”
G. K. Chesterton, a Lay Theologian, English Writer, and Philosopher said, “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German Theologian, said, “In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.”
Rumi, a 13th century Persian Poet, said, “Wear gratitude like a cloak, and it will feed every corner of your life.”
Epicurus, a Greek Philosopher, said, “Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”
Henry Ward Beecher, an American minister, said, “The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but the thankful heart will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings.”
Brene’ Brown, an American Professor, Researcher and Storyteller, says, “What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude.”
Hannah Whitall Smith, an American Evangelist and reformer in the Holiness Movement in the late 19th century, said, “The soul that gives thanks can find comfort in everything; the soul that complains can find comfort in nothing.”
Willie Nelson, an American musician, actor and activist, says, “When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.”
Karl Barth, a Swiss Theologian, said, “Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.”
The Apostle Paul said in I Thessalonians 5:18 in the NASB, “in everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
I’m thankful for 318Central.com giving me the opportunity to write, for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and for another year of life.
As always, Good eating! Good loving! Good living!
Au revoir, mes amis!
Christine Baker
https://www.countryliving.com/life/g28564406/gratitude-quotes/
P.S. I’m a local writer and author (Who Am I? 31 Days to Discovering Your Identity in Christ, found @ the Amazon Bookstore) who loves all things Louisiana, gardening and Jesus, although not necessarily in that order. You can connect with me on Facebook at Christine Vidrine Baker, From One Woman’s Heart to Another on Facebook and Instagram or at Chriskvbaker@gmail.com