I love this plaque that I put by my front door; it reminds me of what I want my life to look like on the “inside” as well as the “outside.”
Have you noticed how Thanksgiving does not have a place in the retail industry that psychologically scripts our anticipation of each holiday season? Store décor and merchandise has been focused on Christmas since at least September. So, what on earth happened to Thanksgiving?
Think about it – there is little money (really – none!) to be made from being thankful. If we are thankful, then we tend to be content. If we are content, well… we are not going to feel a pressing need for things. The concept of “enough” does not translate into profits, except for our soul and our peace of mind.
A few weeks ago, I turned a wooden container into a “Thanksgiving Box.” The children cut out strips of colored paper and we put them in the lid with some pens. Each day or whenever anyone thought of it, we have written down something for which we are thankful. The goal is to have as many strips as possible to make a “Thankful Chain.” Tonight we started stapling the strips together. Here’s a pix of what we have so far.
Even my eldest daughter in college has contributed via text messaging. It doesn’t take much effort and it has been fun to read some of the offbeat items contributed by various members of the family. Here are some other items that showed up on our thankful chain:
grandparents
warm sweaters
a dependable car
home (beats dorm life)
health
sneezes
colors
freedom of religion
having a house
myself
Jesus
May each of us, in our own way, discover the precious secret of “less is more” in a culture of over abundance. Wishing you the gift of simplicity this season.
