Drought, Water and Thanksgiving

Lake Lanier, the "holding tank" for water, used in North Georgia, down the Alabama coast, and into the Florida Panhandle's oyster beds, is fourteen feet below normal with no prospects of serious rain in the near future. A lake this low exposes mile after mile of hot, dry-caked banks -- not a pretty site. Where once there was water, now there are islands poking out of what water remains.

When we received the tiny little one-inch of rain last week, I believe I understood the thankfulness of that first Thanksgiving when the Pilgrims held the first feast in the new land. I was thankful from a spot deep within my soul that needs to be accessed more regularly.

In spite of the the Christmas lights popping out all over neighborhoods, this Thanksgiving Day in my home will receive great respect. My goal is to carry my thankful attitude right into next year and live with an attitude of gratitude uppermost in my mind. I know I'll be happier for thankfulness is the root of happiness.

We live in a world with a sense of entitlement-from the child who expects all A's on his/her report card without the daily work scores to warrant an A, to the office worker who wants to be promoted despite sub-par performance. Individuals, who feel entitled to the good things of life without putting forth the hard work to obtain the desired results, live in the opposite of gratitude and thankfulness: they live in a state of sadness for what they do not have and anger for what they think has been denied them.  

James Allen teaches in his book, "As a Man Thinketh" that right thoughts and right actions must precede success. Focus on what you've "got" instead of what you've "not got" and you'll know that thankfulness is the right thought and saying "thank you" is the right action.

Using the power of gratitude and "thank you", you'll be more:

·         Optimistic

·         Creative

·         Resilient

·         Immune to disease

·         Alert and interested in life

The greatest benefits, however, are that you'll be more likable and you'll live longer, both worthy goals.

Let this Thanksgiving be the start of a new year of gratitude. Say "thank you" to everyone who gives you a gentle nudge through life and especially to the power that brings rain to the parched earth.