Sasha Bush
The Ashland Beacon
Thanksgiving comes but once a year and brings with it a time of thankfulness and celebration. It is a time that provides us with ample opportunity to reflect on the many blessings that have been bestowed upon us and is a time that families gather at one another’s homes in anticipation of the great feast that is carefully prepared with precision and love. Thanksgiving is more than just showing gratitude for the things that you have been given. It is also about showing gratitude for the things that you didn’t have to go through… the things that you were spared from. It’s all too easy for us to take for granted the little things in life.
As adults, we tend to focus on the bigger picture. The problem with that is that by focusing on the bigger picture we miss out on the little things that helped to paint that picture. It’s the little things that we often take for granted and that can in fact be the most meaningful. Children tend to look at the world with a different set of eyes than most adults do. Children seem to have the innate ability to see and hear everything that goes on around them. The eyes and ears of a child are something quite astonishing. The beauty in this is that they are able to enjoy things more than we do as adults, because they aren’t focusing on the endgame… they are just living in the now and enjoying every minute of it. I had the opportunity to ask several children what it is that they are most thankful for. Here is what they had to say…
“I’m thankful for my mommy and daddy and my room with all my ponies and the house that my ponies live in.” – Bella Age: 5
“My blankets because they are soft and keep me warm. My Mamaw made them for me and my brother and that makes them special.”- Tyler Age: 9
“I am most thankful for my mom. She is my best friend and is always there for anything I need, and she always forgives me if I do something bad.”- Aleaha Age: 12
“I am thankful for the many opportunities that I have been given to try and learn new things.”- Brandon Age:16
“My mommy. I love my mommy!”- Hadley Age: 3
“I am thankful for the food that God gives us, the house that we have, my parents, and my sister.”- Eli Age:9
“My family, my cats, and my home.”- Kylee Age: 6
“I’m thankful for Christmas! Oh… and my mommy and daddy.”- Brantley Age: 5
“My VR game because I got it on a special day and my switch.”- Grayson Age: 8
“Family, friends, and Jesus!”- Landon Age: 7
These children clearly have a lot to be thankful for. We all do! We could all take a page from their book of life and start practicing an “attitude for gratitude” not just on Thanksgiving, but every day. For everyday is a gift from God and that itself is something to be thankful for. William Faulkner, once said, “Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: It must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all.” So go out and share your gratitude with others because you never know what they might share with you in return.