Gratitude is Essential to. .....HAPPINESS

Do you know of any happy person.... who is truly ungrateful?
I don’t.
Think of the unhappy people you know.
How many of them are grateful?
I would guess that few... if any are.
Happiness and gratitude cannot be separated.
Some years ago I read a statement that seemed illogical to me.
The statement, written by William Law, a seventeenth century English mystic, said this:
“If anyone would tell you the shortest, surest way to happiness and all perfection, he must tell you to make it a rule to yourself to thank and praise God for everything that happens to you.
For it is certain that whatever seeming calamity happens to you, if you thank and praise God for it, you turn it into a blessing.“
Saint Paul said this same thing in 1 Thessalonians 5:18..”Always be joyful. No matter what happens, always be thankful.”
St. Paul had enormous problems.... he was shipwrecked, beaten, imprisoned, and finally beheaded. But in the midst of all of these hardships, he was able to thank God for anything and everything. So when Paul says to give thanks in ALL circumstances, it is the voice of experience of real life...talking.
The early Pilgrims had similar enduring trials and hardships. They knew that through faith in God they could endure to pay the price for religious liberty - even in the face of adversity.
Their trip on the Mayflower shows the hardships they endured for their convictions.
There were 102 passengers who lived together in a space the size of a basket ball court for eight weeks. The lack of privacy goes without saying.
That first winter of 1620, one-half of the Plymouth colony died either from starvation or disease.. At one point, of the 50 that remained alive, only 6 or 7 were well enough to care for the rest. Also, about half of all who survived the first year were under sixteen.
With the help of Indians they planted their first crops. Having landed in December of 1620 there was a short growing season, which meant that they did not have that much production. Yet when the harvest came, the main idea in their minds was to give thanks to God for survival and for what they had.
They had a celebration, a time of thanksgiving for God’s blessing.
The first Thanksgiving was a.....Holy day.
Wouldn’t it be great if we in America would once again think of Thanksgiving as a holy day instead of just another holiday?
The Pilgrims believed that Almighty God who created them was over all and that men, women, and children were dependent upon Him.
Things have certainly changed over the years.
The prevailing attitude today is that we are masters of life.
We feel we are in charge of the world and don’t need this God so much anymore. We can handle anything ourselves.
It is much more difficult in 2002 for a person to be grateful.
Perhaps we have too much.
Or maybe in our abundance we simply ‘take things for granted’ in this now....Land of Plenty.
It is all right to have abundance.
God want us to have much but He also want us to be grateful for it, to share it and use it well, to appreciate it as a gift.
We need to share with each other our deep feelings of gratitude.
It is as helpful and fulfilling for us as it is for the people who receive our words of thanks.
We can make the most of Thanksgiving by writing or calling someone who has been important in our lives and telling those persons how appreciative we are for all they mean to us.
So to all of you.....and you know who you are......I thank God for you and your personal investment of love to me. That’s why I can declare so boldly day after day.......
..........IT IS A G O O D LIFE!!!
In Appreciation and Gratitude, I wish you a wonderful Thanks...Giving Day.....