The Quiet, Patient Holiday

November is quite possibly my favorite month of the year.  The leaves are swirling, the air is cooling and Thanksgiving is on its way.  Between Halloween and Christmas (the two holidays donned with commercial shopping glee), is the one quiet holiday.  A holiday that patiently waits every year, even when the stores skip over it.  The holiday that patiently waits, even when it isn’t the holiday favorite.

It waits with grace.  It waits without boasting or asking to be heard.  It simply is.  And by being simple, it becomes one of the most profound holidays.  Thanksgiving is a holiday of gratefulness.  A time of year when we can finally slow down and think about what is going right in our lives.

I find that it takes work for most people to be grateful.  It is not on the tip of their tongue   Instead, you hear people wishing for more, wishing for things to change, wishing for something to get better.

What if everything was already perfect?  What if you could be happy right where you are?  How would that change everything?

This morning our family stated our Jar of Thanksgiving.  Just like the holiday, the jar is not assuming, but a simple half gallon glass canning jar adorned with a candle wreath.

Each day we are to write on slips of paper something we are grateful for.  We can write more than one thing and add as many slips of paper for the day as we wish.

When I announced the Jar of Thanksgiving this morning I didn’t know how my kids would react.  Before I knew it one was already writing quite the long list.  The other proudly declared he was thankful for, “God, Angels, Family and Jesus.”

I don’t know if we will announce our thanksgiving everyday, at the end, or even not at all.  But I do know, we all took a quiet moment to reconnect to what really matters and for that I am grateful.

What do you think will be in your Jar of Thanksgiving?

Blessings,

Summer Joy

 

About The Author

Summer Brackhan

Mom, sociologist, teacher, author, musician, world traveler, parenting and health coach who believes healthy living incorporates body, mind and soul and that life is not about living in little boxes, but experiencing everything at its fullest.

4 Comments

  • Michelle DeRusha

    Reply Reply November 3, 2012

    Love the idea of a jar of Thanksgiving! And yes, I love the holiday Thanksgiving…the patient, quiet holiday – I never thought of it that way before, but it’s true.

    • Summer Joy

      Reply Reply November 4, 2012

      Thanks Michelle! Our jar is over half full this morning and we are only 4 days into it! It is so fun to see the boys scramble to put their thanks in! We have decided to read ours on Thanksgiving. I am so looking forward to it~

  • joy

    Reply Reply November 9, 2012

    Summer this writing is beautiful. The depth of love and understanding in your heart is wonderful and I am so happy you share it with others to read. May it enrich all of our lives.

    • Summer Joy

      Reply Reply November 9, 2012

      Thank you~ I had a wonderful upbringing, that taught me to be thankful for everything, even the little things. 🙂

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