“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” Melody Beattie

 

Thanksgiving is truly my favorite holiday, so many people to be thankful for. So many blessings in my life.

One of my favorite articles is written by an amazing orator and teacher.  It is called A Thankful Thanksgiving by Jim Rohn. In it he talks about how we go about our day in celebration and love and offers tips to make the holiday more meaningful to us.

Jim says to set aside some time to reflect on the many blessings in our lives. To think about one or two things in our lives we take for granted and count our blessings for those. Ask others what they are thankful for and share in their stories.  He tells us to acknowledge those in our lives and tell them how much we appreciate that they are part of this journey with us.

Wise man, wise words.

In fact, it is important to be grateful every day for all we have and all we are. After all, we are just guests on this planet. It has been here long before we arrived and will be long after our departure. Treat the earth well, treat others well, and most of all treat ourselves well. For we are all we really have.

In celebration of Thanksgiving, I am sharing several great resources I have found to plan and partake in a Bountiful Day.  Happy Thanksgiving to each of you. Thank you for reading WE Magazine for Women.

May the day bestow upon you ENOUGH; enough to fill your hearts, your minds and your souls.

Heidi Richards Mooney, Publisher

Your Thanksgiving Resources:

Holiday History

1. Explore the history of the Thanksgiving holiday in North America at the Smithsonian Online ~ http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmah/thanks.htm

2. Origins of Thanksgiving Day http://www.history.com/content/thanksgiving

3. Thanksgiving Facts and Statistics – Last year, the major pumpkin-producing states brought us 1.1 billion pounds of pumpkins. Read more about pumpkins and other Thanksgiving fun facts from the Census Bureau. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/014332.html

Holiday Inspiration

4. Quotations for Thanksgiving ~ http://quotations.about.com/od/specialdays/a/thanksgiving9.htm

5. Thoughts on Thanksgiving ~ http://dobhran.nbci.com/greetings/GRinspire303.htm

6. For Everything Give Thanks by H.I. Tupper ~ http://www.appleseeds.org/Give-Thanks.htm

7. You Only Get To Keep What You Give Away ~ http://www.appleseeds.org/give-get.htm

8. Quotations at Think Exist (http://www.thinkexist.com/ )

Holiday Activities

9. Read about Thanksgiving activities for the whole family at www.TulipsTalk.com blog

10. Thanksgiving Planning Tips ~ http://www.bhg.com/holidays/thanksgiving/planning/

11. Volunteer for the Holidays – Find information about public service and volunteer opportunities in your community. http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/PublicService.shtml

Holiday Articles

12. Operation Thanksgiving Helps Airmen Feel at Home for the Holidays http://www.kauz.com/news/69616237.html

13. Healthy Holiday Eating Tips for Thanksgiving ~ http://www.healthcastle.com/holiday-eating-healthy-thanksgiving.shtml

14. Tips for a Green Thanksgiving ~ http://www.eatturkey.com/consumer/thanks.html

15. 101 Head Starts on the Day ~ http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/18/dining/18mini.html?_r=1

16. How to Set the Table, and Why: The Short Course ~ http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/26/dining/26HOWT.html

17. Send Your Thanks to the U.S. Military – Write your own message of appreciation to U.S. troops or find a volunteer opportunity. http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Usgresponse/Help.shtml#vgn-support-our-troops-vgn

Holiday Eats & Drinks

18. Allrecipes has more than 1740 trusted Thanksgiving recipes complete with ratings, reviews and cooking tips ~ http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Holidays-and-Events/Thanksgiving/main.aspx

19. Butterball Your Turkey Headquarters on the Net ~ www.butterball.com

20. Eat Turkey.com – thanksgiving recipes, tips and more ~ http://www.eatturkey.com/consumer/thanks.html

21. Vegetarian Thanksgiving Tips ~ http://www.foodista.com/blog/2009/11/16/vegetarian-thanksgiving-tips/

22. Check out Food for the Holidays for tips and ideas to help you plan and prepare healthy, crowd-pleasing food for this holiday season ~ http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cfocus/cfholidays06/focus2.htm

23. Add a little spice to your holiday menu? Here are 2 recipe brochures to add to your collection ~ http://www.sargento.com/promotions/2009/09/11/Taste_of_Autumn_PDF.pdf

24. Thanksgiving Calculator ~ http://www.thanksgiving-corner.com/turkey-calculator.php

25. Bottles That Make Good Guests ~ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/12/dining/12wine.html

Holiday Humor

26. Thanksgiving Humor to Lighten Your Load ~ http://butlerwebs.com/holidays/thanksgiving.htm#Humor

27. Thanksgiving Jokes for Kids ~ http://www.thanksgivingworld.com/jokes/kids-joke.html

Holiday Hodgepodge

28. Turkey Trivia Quiz ~ http://home.aristotle.net/Thanksgiving/trivia.asp

29. Thanksgiving Puzzles ~ http://www.thanksgiving-corner.com/thanksgiving-puzzles.php

30. Thanksgiving clipart ~ http://www.christmas-graphics-plus.com/free/thanksgiving-clipart-gallery.html

31. Download a Thanksgiving Coloring Book for the little ones ~ http://tulipstalk.com/TGcoloringbook2.pdf

32. Out-of-This-World Thanksgiving – Explore the Thanksgiving experience in space, which usually includes rehydrated turkey and mashed potatoes.http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/livinginspace/Space_Thanksgiving.html

33. Learn how to say Thank You in 50 languages at Success and Then Some ~ http://speakingwithspirit.com/successandthensome/50-ways-to-say-thank-you/

For articles, shopping ideas and fun visit the Holiday Gift-Giving Guide for Women at http://bit.ly/1Z6LSF