“A noble person is mindful and thankful of the favors he receives from others” – Buddha
With Thanksgiving right around the corner in the USA, it seemed only fitting that I thank all the people who have helped to make WE Magazine for Women what it is today; a successful, well-read, and highly visible magazine site for women. First and foremost thank you to the readers who subscribe to our RSS and stop by frequently leaving comments along the way. Of course, there would be no readers without the amazing editorial team we have who contribute to our content on a regular basis. Thank you for all you do to make WE magazine possible. Your dedication has helped us grow in ways beyond what one person alone could do.
Thanksgiving is, by far, my favorite holiday because it is the perfect time for self-reflection. A time to count our blessings and give thanks to all those who have helped make life a little easier, more bearable and worth living. In my home WE have several traditions at our thanksgiving table. They include a Thanksgiving Box which years ago graced our table and has never left. In that box are our wishes, hopes, dreams and gratitude. It’s like a workout for the soul. Everyone writes down at least one thing they are thankful for and puts it in the box and after dinner while we are sitting around waiting for our bellies to make room for desert we share those things we wrote down. It can be a real tear jerker or it can make us grin from ear to ear. I remember one Thanksgiving when my former father in law wrote: “I am thankful for my old car, my old broad and God.” I don’t think we ever laughed so hard – except maybe the old broad who was also sitting at the table :).
One year we had rocks with a single word written on it and everyone picked a rock from the box. They then went around the table and told us what that word meant to them. My father drew “life” and he made us all cry with his heartfelt comments about how precious life was (and is).You can read my Father’s Day story ” A Tribute to Dad” to learn more about him.
This year we are doing something a little different. I have put together “conversation starters” in the form questions. Each person around the table will draw a paper from the Thanksgiving Box and read what’s on the paper, the object being to answer the question. For instance, one of the questions might be “Who are you thankful for?” or “What abilities do you have that you are thankful for?” In fact, I came up with 15 such questions. If you would like a copy of these questions, leave a comment below and I will send the list to you!
What I have learned about Thanksgiving is that it isn’t only about being grateful for those people, and things we have. It’s also about being grateful for the challenges in our lives. Those things that make us stronger and mold us into who we are today.
I have so many things to be thankful for, it would take me weeks to compile that list. My family, my friends, my husband, my health, my pets, the amazing women who have mentored me, and those I mentor, the people who serve in our Armed forces, the people who serve me at restaurants and department stores … so very many people to be thankful for. For now, I will say Thank YOU to everyone in print and over the coming days my goal is to connect with everyone individually and say thank you to each of you.
Giving thanks is the perfect way to begin a day and even better way to end it with.
A quote by Margaret Meade pretty much sums it up: “Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has.” Thank you for being those women (and a few good men) who continue to contribute to WE Magazine for Women. You have changed my world for the better.
Happy Thanksgiving…
With Warm regards,
Heidi
ps: If you’d like a little extra inspiration this Thanksgiving, check out the beautiful song THANKFUL by Michael Farr. You can find it below in our video post below and on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bf1akDYakw
