A Heart of Gratitude and Generous Giving: Focus Year-Round on the Thankfulness in Thanksgiving

Those two special words, “thanks” and “giving,” combined, help us to remember the art of gratitude. Those two words remind us to stay thankful, and when we fill our hearts with thankful gratitude, we reap a multitude of health benefits for mind, body, and spirit.

However much or however little you have, adopt a healthy, positive perspective. Appreciating who you are and what you have will pay dividends of bountiful benefits. Practicing the art of gratitude can enhance empathy, raise your energetic vibration, alleviate pain, reduce stress and bring many more benefits on multiple levels.

CREATIVE WAYS TO STAY THANKFUL AND EXPRESS YOUR GRATITUDE

Remember the importance of your faith, family, and friends. Just think how your life would be lacking without them and how they have enriched your life. Slow down, reflect, and make a list of who you’re most grateful for and why. And then think how you can positively reinforce those relationships in mutually beneficial ways. Think of ways to generously give back, and remember that those good wishes may come back to you in positive ways.

One important way to express your gratitude is to pray for yourself and others in your inner circle, allowing the prayer to expand out with a ripple effect. Pray from your heart for the local community and beyond. Pray patriotically for your country and the world. What current pressing issues need addressing? What present problems require solving? How can you help others, starting right where you are?

Another way to stay thankful is to reach out to others with a written message. There’s nothing quite like receiving a handwritten note to brighten someone’s day. There doesn’t have to be a reason to send a card or letter to a loved one or acquaintance. Even the smallest acts of kindness can be fondly remembered and genuinely appreciated.

A card is wonderful, but nothing can replace in-person (or via phone or vid chat) verbal thanks. But, if it’s hard to reach your busy loved one, leave them an audio message or voicemail to express your thanks.

Be mindful to stay thankful and raise your vibration in a state of constant gratitude. While the glass might appear half-empty to some, see it as half-full and remember to thank and tip the barista or bartender who poured it. No need to chug it; instead, take time to savor each sip and say “cheers” to whomever you are with.

Be grateful for the blessings and for those sometimes difficult blessings in disguise, as well. Make peace with who you are now, wherever you are, whoever you are with, and whatever you have, and believe it was meant to be. Be thankful your life and situation can always improve. After a storm, the sun still comes out to play and makes beautiful rainbows that light up the sky.

BENEFITS OF GRATITUDE AND THANKFULNESS

Physical and psychological health benefits abound with a healthy, positive outlook, translating into fewer aches and pains, greater overall health, and an increased life span. Eliminate toxic emotions, including anger, frustration, resentment, regret, and depression, that can cause stress and harm your health. Boost your self-esteem, confidence level, and mental strength with thankfulness, mindfulness, and healthy positivity

Focusing on a short, sweet, and simple gratitude list as you drift off to sleep can make a real difference. Substituting sleeping pills with steady dosages of gratitude can help you catch your zzz’s more easily. Research shows that whatever you focus on just before falling asleep is frequently what you remember first thing in the morning. So, fuel your thoughts with powerful positivity and envision good thoughts and memories to evoke a positive, feel-good morning.

‘Tis the season for a reminder to keep thankful and grateful. Thanksgiving is not just a holiday or seasonal trend for once a year. It’s much more than that when you open your heart and mind to allow for a meaningful and fulfilling life. How you approach life is up to you, so get going on gratitude and remember that there’s always time for thankfulness!

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Susan B. B. Schabacker

Forsyth Magazines writer since 2018. Susan Schabacker was blessed to be adopted as a baby and made her journey from South Korea to Massachusetts where she arrived safely into her adoptive mother’s loving arms. She later moved to New Mexico and, after a few years, moved to Winston-Salem, NC, to study classical ballet at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts from the eighth grade through high school. Susan has lived in the Piedmont Triad area for nearly 20 years and had the opportunity to travel to Budapest, Hungary; London, UK; and Beijing, China, where she studied abroad through Elon University. In Stockholm, Sweden, she had a marketing internship at Hachette-Filipacchi, publisher of Elle and other magazines. She graduated with a B.A. in Corporate Communications and a minor in Dance from Elon University. Susan loves writing and is pleased to have written for Winston-Salem Journal’s "Teen Page," Triad Living, KernersvilleMagazine, and of course, Forsyth Mags. She is a co-author of a children’s book, Huckleberry Robin, based on a three-generation true family story. Susan is grateful for her faith, family, and friends and is happy and excited to be part of the Forsyth Mags team. She spreads the word about Forsyth magazines and enjoys reading and sharing them with her family and friends every month.

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