When Times Are Tight, Give Thanks For What's Going Right!

Times are hard, and many of us are feeling down. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, let's take time this year to be thankful for the things that are going right in our lives. Are all of your family members healthy, or has someone recently recovered after a long illness? Are the kids doing well in school? Are you still in the family home? Do you still have a job? Are you receiving unemployment or food benefits which are keeping your family from being truly destitute? Does your family have active military members who are safe, although they are far from home? Do you have a lot of supportive, nurturing friendships that you treasure? Things may not be perfect, but let's still not forget to count our blessings.

There are many ways of incorporating this into the holiday celebration. My sister has a small fabric memo board with ribbons to hold the messages. This year we are going to put out a jar of paper strips printed with "I am grateful for..." and a pen underneath the memo board. Each family member will fill one out, tuck it into the memo board, and we will read them during dinner. Some families have a small branch that they stick messages on, some write in a pretty book, others put them in a nice vase. No matter how you do it, you may want to include this activity into your Thanksgiving Day. It may help your family to feel a little more positive about their circumstances.

I wish you all a fun and relaxing Thanksgiving, surrounded by family and good friends.