Gratitude - Lynette M. Burrows

10 Ways to Say Thank You

It’s been another year. Another crazy, topsy-turvy year. And for some of us (at least in America), Thanksgiving Day will be hard, fraught with difficult emotions. I’ve found it helpful to look for my gratitude during those times. But it isn’t easy to find something to be thankful for when you’re grieving, or angry, or hurting. Here are some quotes, ten ways to say thank you when it’s difficult. If you’re finding gratitude difficult, chose one or all ten of these and make them a mantra. It is the path to joy. If not joy, it at least will give you some peace.

Image of a lit candle in a short glass jar with a black ribbon around the neck of the jar and the words thank you written in script on the jar.

At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.
Albert Schweitzer

10 Ways to Say Thank You

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.
Meister Eckhart

I’d like to say to all my fans out there, thanks for the support. And to all my doubters, thank you very much because you guys have also pushed me.
Usain Bolt

Thank you to our farmers for all you do to keep food on our tables.
Elise Stefanik

Thank you for accepting me as I am, with my virtues and defects.
Jenni Rivera

This a wonderful day. I’ve never seen this one before.
Maya Angelou

Every life is a story, thank you for being part of my story.
Unknown

I feel a very unusual sensation – if it is not indigestion, I think it must be gratitude.
Benjamin Disraeli

When eating a fruit, think of the person who planted the tree.
Vietnamese Proverb

I couldn’t find a card that expressed my gratitude the way I wanted. I need a card that gives you a big hug.
Unknown

For all that has been – thanks. For all that shall be – yes.
Dag Hammarskjöld

At some point in life the world’s beauty becomes enough. You don’t need to photograph, paint, or even remember it. It is enough.
Toni Morrison

My Gratitude

My year has been an emotional roller coaster. It took a little bit of thinking to find a writerly bit of gratitude for the Writers in the Storm blog, The 2021 WITS Team Gives Writerly Thanks.

But taking the moment to think about what I have revealed many things for which I can honestly give thanks. I am eternally grateful for

Nearly twenty-eight years with the love of my life.

The friends who stood by me on days when I could barely acknowledge them.

The readers who have waited patiently for my irregular blog posts and for the next novel.

For the amazing personal and professional opportunities that have presented themselves to me in the past few months.

And for the people who rekindled that spark of gratitude in me.

Thank you.

Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action.
W. J. Cameron

My Hope

Whether or not you celebrate an American Thanksgiving, I hope your day is a day of peace. A day when you can find at least one small thing for which you can say thank you.

They say time is a great healer. No, it’s not. Time simply passes. We have to heal ourselves. There are millions of ways to heal from your grief, anger, or hurt (whatever it is). You can do it. You may need a mental health first aid kit or a joy toolbox. You may need something else. Please, take this day to breathe. To find gratitude for the things you have, even if it is very little. To thank yourself for surviving to this day even if you sometimes wish you hadn’t. To find a gratitude mantra for the days that are so hard you don’t think you’ll make it. These 10 ways to say thank you are only a start. You can do it. I believe in you.

Image Credits

Top: Photo by Daniel Andrade on Unsplash, Middle: Photo by wal_172619 on Pixabay, Bottom: Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Joy and Peace to All

No matter what holidays you celebrate or don’t, I’m wishing joy and peace to all of you.

image in blues of clouds and mountain tops and sky--an image of peace and joy

To say it’s been a hard year for everyone is a little glib. For some, it has been beyond difficult. My heart aches for all your losses, big and small.

We’ve finally come to the end of the year. You may wish to never look back at the year 2020. There were so many negative thoughts and feelings and events you may recall nothing else.

Memories

It’s easy to look back and see all the negative. The challenge is to to find the moments of joy and peace. Maybe it was the birth of a child or a quiet moment in nature, where and what is different for each of us.

The problem is that we recall bad memories, traumas, the negative stuff far more easily than the good. These highly emotional events trigger the parts of our brains that record memories.

What’s the message there? That we need to guard and record our good memories, moments of joy and peace. For some people, that’s taking lots of photographs. Others record their lives in journals. Still others keep a memory jar.

image of a jar labeled "our best memories" full of small rolls of paper tied up with bright pink string--record your moments of joy and peace

Thank You

My blog readers and readers of my books have brought me many moments of joy. I’m not just saying that. A writer spends most of her time alone with pen and paper or computer and keyboard. I, for one, spend many hours learning and practicing my craft. Then I spend hours putting words together and putting them out there for you to read. I often have no idea if I’ve successfully conveyed the ideas I wanted to share. Then one of you comments or reviews my books. You have no idea the joy that brings. I am truly very thankful for each and everyone of you.

image of a Christmas tree made of white snowflakes on a blue background of a field of snow with a church building with one lighted window--joy and peae

And no matter what you experienced in the past year. I hope you can look back at 2020 and recall some good times. Most of all, let me wish joy and peace to all — today and for the year to come.

The Perfect Time to Visit Your Gratitude

This is Thanksgiving week in the U.S. It’s a time when many of us remember to feel and express gratitude. It seems frivolous in 2020—especially when you recall that more than 259,000 U.S. residents and over 1.4 million worldwide have died of COVID-19. Plus, at home and across the world, there are racial injustices and rampant abuses of power, not to mention the political messes. Yet, perhaps this is the perfect time to visit your gratitude.

Showing Thanks Makes Others Happy

We all want to be noticed. It’s part of our nature. I’ll be you’ve noticed that being ignored doesn’t feel good. Being noticed means that you are of value. Even if it’s only for holding the door open for the elderly man with his hands full. Being noticed, being thanked feels good.

When you take a moment out of your day to recognize someone for being there—it makes them feel good. A simple thank you to the clerk at the store, the postal service worker, the nurse at the clinic, or your neighbor will be appreciated and remembered. Watch them smile. Bet it makes you smile, too.

Being Thankful Makes You a More Positive Person

two glasses of water--one half full the other full.

Gratitude doesn’t have to be overwhelming. You don’t have to bounce around and effuse thankfulness all over the place. Simply appreciating the things and people around you is enough. That appreciation promotes optimism.

Feeling thankful reduces toxic emotions like envy, jealousy, resentment, and frustration. According to Psychology Today, practicing gratitude increases happiness and reduces depression.

When you look for the things you appreciate, you realize how much you have. It’s fun to enumerate those things. Look at the 20 Weird Things I’m Grateful For.

Gratitude Improves Physical Health

Did you know grateful people report fewer aches and pains? Appreciating your physical health also means you probably take better care of yourself. According to MayoClinic.Or g, practicing thankfulness improves sleep, boosts your immunity, and decreases your risk of disease.

A little gratitude each day decreases stress and increases resilience. Even during the worst times.

Find Your Gratitude

A photo looking down on a cup of coffee, some sprigs of mint, and some cookies on a round wooden cutting board with a handwritten note that urges you to enjoy the little things-perhaps the perfect time to visit your gratitude

Don’t feel bad is you can’t always feel grateful. Even an optimist like me can struggle to remain grateful and positive during the kinds of stressors we’ve had this year. But you can find things you’re grateful for—all you have to do is look.

When I look around me, I see many things for which I’m grateful.

My two yorkies are sometimes annoying, but an endless supply of affection and entertainment.
My office—it’s not big and it’s not fancy—but it’s a space where I can work.
Having a roof over my head. There are so many who don’t have that luxury.
Clean water to drink.
And so many other things! And that’s not counting the most important things—friends and family and acquaintances. I am feeling grateful, thankful, and blessed.

Thank You

a kalidescope with a note that reads thanks for existing in my little galaxy

I am always amazed that other people read my posts. It delights me and energizes me to write better posts. And when you comment or share my posts—I am so very grateful. Thank you for joining me here.

Whether you’re having a Thanksgiving or a routine Thursday, my wish is that you feel the power of gratitude in your day, your week, and your life.

I hope you practice gratitude every day. Remember, it reduces stress and toxic emotions. So now is the perfect time to visit your gratitude. And please look around the room you’re in right now and comment below about one thing in that room that you are grateful to have.

Thank You, Dear Readers

In the United States, yesterday was Thanksgiving Day. A day of feasting and football and parades and giving thanks. And after a week of cleaning and cooking, it is a day when I collapse into an exhausted heap. But I had to rouse myself enough to say thank you.

Image of a black long-eared dog hoding a card that reads, Thank You

I’m grateful to you, my readers, for your support. A write works alone at her craft for hours and hours. It’s a solitude that I (as an introverted introvert) enjoy. But, I write my stories for people to read so your comments, your likes, your stars, and your reviews mean a lot to me, to writers like me. And I act a little like this…

Okay, some days I act a lot like that. But honestly, I value every one of you and every response you make. Thank you.

Lest you think I’m only grateful for writerly things, here are a few posts from the past:

And here are some of my favorite “gratitude” lines from books I’ve read.

Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.
—Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne

“I am happy. I am very happy. This morning when I woke up, I felt good because the sun was shining. I felt good because I was a frog. And I felt good because I have you as a friend. I wanted to be alone. I wanted to think about how fine everything is.”
—Days with Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel

If I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look further than my own backyard. Because if it isn’t there, I never really lost it to begin with.
—The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum

And the final quote, that says it all:

“You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing.”
—Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White

Thank you.

Remember and Be Grateful

It’s November. In the United States, that means Thanksgiving Day is coming. It’s a month, and a day, known for overeating, for much-hyped sports, for writers meeting crazy deadlines, for parades, and for Black Friday shopping. Am I saying those are bad things? Heck no. But they are signs that November can be crazy busy. In fact, many of us stay crazy busy all year. It just gets crazier in November (and December, too). But whatever your religion or the country where you live, remember and be grateful.

If your month of Thanksgiving isn’t in November, you can still practice gratefulness. Get a jar or a bowl and designate it the bowl or the jar of thanks. Each day, beginning or end, write a note of thanks. (See the Art of Thank You). If that’s too much, write the date and one or two words that will help you remember what you chose to be grateful for that day.

Sometimes, when you’ve had a bad day, it might be difficult to find something to give thanks for.

Quotes About Gratitude

Sometimes we should express our gratitude for the small and simple things like the scent of the rain, the taste of your favorite food, or the sound of a loved one’s voice.
Joseph B. Wirthlin

In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer

We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.
Cynthia Ozick

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.”
Buddha

Remember & Be grateful quote: "Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings." by William Arthur Ward

If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.
Rabbi Harold Kushner

Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.
Oprah Winfrey

Image of Skyline with Quote by Alfred North Whitehead. Remember and be grateful. "No one who achieves success does so without the help of others."

Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.
Brian Tracy

Be grateful for what you already have while you pursue your goals.
If you aren’t grateful for what you already have, what makes you think you would be happy with more?
Roy T. Bennett

Remember and Be Grateful

I have blogged about gratitude in the past. Perhaps one of these posts will help you find your gratitude: Gratitude for Nature, Weird Things I’m Grateful for, and 13 Things for Which I Give Thanks.

It’s Good for You

Research shows that being grateful is healthier. Read about it on Harvard Health and on Psychology Today.

Image of mountains in the clouds and sky with Mary Davis quote, "The more grateful I am, the more beauty I see." Remember and be grateful.

If you live with gratitude, you’ll have a much happier life. It will reduce your stress. It will be an antidote to the negatives that you may encounter. So in the hustle and bustle of the coming months, fill your jar. Remember and be grateful.