The more Soul and emotion you put into it, the better it will feel.

Enjoy!!

The Giving Thanks Rap

So I’m givin’ thanks, oh yes I am
Gimme some paper and gimme a pen

Gotta be thankful for the way I’m livin’
Gotta be grateful on this Thanksgivin’

For many great people who just support me
For the place I live and just bein’ free

For the air I breathe and the land I walk
For just being able to sing and shout and talk

And gotta be thankful for my creative spirit
As well as the morning dove, oh I love to hear it

Gotta be grateful for the work I do
For my clients and my colleagues, yeah, I love them too

And how ’bout the sunrise and the great sunsets
This life is great, but it gets better yet

Grateful to be able to go to new places
And to meet new people and see new faces

And surely I’m grateful for all my possessions
And having good friends who’ll hear my confessions

And I’m even thankful for the losses and the grief
‘Cause they make me realize lettin’ go invites relief

(And I’m even so grateful for all my past romantic love
‘Cause today I do know, no longer must I shove)

But most of all, what I’m thankful for
Is just this great Life that gives me more and more

I shout to the heavens and today I do say, “Thanks!!”
I’m investing now in gratitude, you can take that to the bank

Ken “Keni Lee” Donaldson

********************

Pura Vida!

Ken

Ken Donaldson, M.A., L.M.H.C.
The REALationship Coach
http://www.realationshipcoach.com/
Ken@REALationshipCoach.com
(727) 394-7325

I am always grateful - even for the little things that inspire me - birds, clouds, smiles, mountains, rivers, hugs, health……the list is endless.

Thomas Merton described a mystic as someone who sees the wonder in all things. Thus, we can all be mystics, and therefore permanently grateful for the wonder in everything.

To get a real life experience of this just notice the breath. Just insert breath in place of “all things” in the quote as you reread it.

Jená — Right on woman! I still vividly remember a time when a surgeon with whom I worked had been really irritated and upset with some of us and I had felt bitchy and irritated with him in response. On the walk from my office to my car, however, I had a small smile on my face as I thought to myself that I was grateful for the encounter with him (for many reasons) even though it wasn’t exactly the “order” I would have placed had I been queen of the universe. Thanks for jogging this memory for me.

In mulling over your question for the past few days, and in reading the comments already posted, the thought that keeps occurring to me is the importance of being grateful for difficulties and complications.

It’s more than looking for a silver lining (though that’s important, too — seeking the blessing in disguise). In some ways, it’s like what C.S. Lewis is saying, and like the serenity prayer: acknowledging that my desire and comfort are not necessarily the best measure of “the good”.

When a complicated problem comes my way, especially at work, I try to remember that if such problems didn’t occur pretty regularly, there might not need to be someone in this role. And gratitude seems like an appropriate (if sometimes difficult) response.

Shonnie, you’ve done it again — thanks for the prompting to reflect on gratitude and its gifts. You always provide such nourishing food for thought
Happy Thanksgiving!

If left to my own devices, I tend to miss all the bounty God has placed right in front of me. Intentional quiet time with God is the best way I know to keep clear perspective. I have so much to be grateful for - and I am! Life is a beautiful adventure - each day full of wonderful possibilities. I am so thankful!

Happy Thanksgiving,
Margot Wurst