Be Thankful for the Wonders of Life

From 3arf

During the course of a lifetime, there will be many hard times to face. Whether rich or poor, those hard times make life seem difficult and sometimes as if you are battling against the odds. Perhaps you are, but there are ways to find thankfulness even during hard times. Hard times can in fact teach you the benefit of thankfulness because behind all the sadness or hardship, there lies a part of human feelings that can put everything into perspective and make life less hard. That part is called hope.

The celebrations that everyone has to face such as Christmas, birthdays, New Year celebrations or even those celebrations such as Independence Day may be hard ones to face when life is feeling hard and money is short. It is at those times that children don’t want the excuse of having no money thrown in their faces. Childhood isn’t about money. It’s about enjoyment, and by finding that little ray of hope from inside, you can overcome the hardships and learn that there are indeed things to be thankful for.

The bank account may have a zero balance, but you can’t take away the joy that people feel when they see a Christmas tree all lit up and ready to greet the world. The local church may have one, even if you can’t afford one, and sometimes, all it takes is a visit to the church and the lighting of a candle to lift the spirits and make you feel thankful inside.

At other times of the year, one sure way to make you feel thankful regardless of hard times is to go somewhere where nature is predominant. You may not be able to afford a luxury holiday, though nature will present itself somewhere near where you live. Even in a city, there are places to see nature. On the rooftop of a tenement block, you can see the sky and be near to heaven watching those stars that make you feel safe and secure.

These give you something precious to feel thankful for. In the country, watching nature start to open the buds of the flowers helps as well. These are gifts that are free to everyone, but that not everyone takes advantage of. Once you do, you find that your attitude toward life changes, even though hard times may be something you live with daily. These are the worldly things that bring hope and sustain it because they are a constant reminder that there are things in life which don’t have a cost or a price ticket to them, but which are the most precious gifts of all.

Those with children can share a nature walk and watch the children gather items to make decorations with. Children have furtive imaginations and are very good at being inventive. Spur them on and encourage them, and if you want that thankfulness regardless of hardship, simply look into their eyes as they show you the things they discovered. Children still have that sparkle adults forget about. For a child, a small snowflake holds a world of magic. Step back with them to a time when little things such as this mattered, and you find a whole new world of thankfulness.

When times are hard and the food on the table is poor pickings, it’s hard to be thankful, but you can be when you consider that even though the food is humble, it was prepared by someone who took the time to make those poor pickings into something edible. It may not be the kind of meal that everyone loves, though the small nourishment it does give is better than no meal at all.

In a world where material things seem to matter so much, it’s worthwhile sometimes stepping away from materialism to see what’s real in the world. Visit a hospice and see people whose needs are greater than yours and you are humbled into thankfulness from an unusual source. Of course you are thankful not to be in the place of those people of all ages who are dying. What you may be amazed by is the strong character these people seem to retain even when the odds are against them. A young child dying of leukemia spends her time reassuring her parents not to worry. An older lady sits in her chair and reads her favorite magazine and is grateful she woke up this morning. When you see things such as this, it humbles you and fills you with gratitude for having met such courageous people whose hardship is certainly more than yours.

Hard times are what make people strong. They build character and that character can either be the type that complains about life, or the type that sees the wonders around them and doesn’t complain about their hardships. The latter are the winners because they see beyond the obvious trappings in life that indeed, regardless of financial position, there is always something to feel thankful for.

Whether it’s the ladybug that sits on the tip of your finger and delights your child or the first crocus pushing its way through the winter ground, there is always something to be thankful for, regardless of being in a particularly hard situation in your life. When you find that joy of thankfulness, it changes your life and allows you to celebrate life in a way that makes you very rich indeed.

Related Articles

Retrieved from "https://3arf.org/en/index.php?title=Be_Thankful_for_the_Wonders_of_Life&oldid=38583"