Gary’s October Gems – The Giving Thanks Issue

October makes her annual entrance like a diva posing in front of a wind machine; her billowing cape of colours cover everything in her path. As the days pass, she becomes smaller, weaker, and tattered. By the time she makes her exit, she is crumpled under the weight of dead wet leaves and Halloween candy wrappers.

In Canada, October’s climatic turn comes in the middle-ish. This year, Thanksgiving, our annual celebration for the cornucopia of our bounty, falls on October 12th. I’ve been thinking a lot about “thank-yous” lately, specifically how reticent we are to express our appreciation to the people who have added so much to the quality of our lives. This was brought home to me recently when a very close friend of mine had a heart attack just days before I am writing this. It was sudden. It was unexpected and it made me feel very, very mortal.

Thankfully, he is doing well and recovering at home. In spite of being in excellent shape with no personal history of heart disease, it happened anyway – just one of those things, one of those crazy things that could happen to any of us at any time.

We all have moments in our lives when we are reminded of how temporary our residence here is. The passing of a relative, a friend, or a pet sets off an alarm that wakes us up from our complacency and reminds us to get busy living. And an integral part of living is to be aware and thankful for all the people in our lives who give our lives so much meaning.

Don’t wait until the end of your third act to tell those you love, that you love them – to show those who have been kind to you that you appreciate them. Stuff your conversations with words of gratitude and when you make your final exit, you’ll be doing so in a blaze of colour –  untainted by regret.

Are there people in your life that you wished you had thanked more?

Are there people you wouldn’t want to pass without having the chance to tell them just how much they matter?

Well, as I was made all too aware, we never know when that opportunity may vanish.

So – Thank you.

[click_to_tweet tweet=”“Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” – Voltaire” quote=”“Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” – Voltaire” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”“For my part, I am almost contented just now, and very thankful. Gratitude is a divine emotion: it fills the heart, but not to bursting; it warms it, but not to fever.” – Charlotte Brontë ” quote=”“For my part, I am almost contented just now, and very thankful. Gratitude is a divine emotion: it fills the heart, but not to bursting; it warms it, but not to fever.” – Charlotte Brontë ” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”“No duty is more urgent than giving thanks.”- James Allen” quote=”“No duty is more urgent than giving thanks.”- James Allen” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” – Robert Brault ” quote=”“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” – Robert Brault ” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”‘Enough’ is a feast.’ – Buddhist Proverb” quote=”‘Enough’ is a feast.’ – Buddhist Proverb” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”“It’s a funny thing about life, once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack.” – Germany Kent” quote=”“It’s a funny thing about life, once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack.” – Germany Kent” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”“The heart that gives thanks is a happy one, for we cannot feel thankful and unhappy at the same time.” – Douglas Wood” quote=”“The heart that gives thanks is a happy one, for we cannot feel thankful and unhappy at the same time.” – Douglas Wood” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” – A. A. Milne” quote=”“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” – A. A. Milne” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”“In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer” quote=”“In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” – Marcel Proust” quote=”“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” – Marcel Proust” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”“I lie in bed at night, after ending my prayers with the words ‘Ich danke dir für all das Gute und Liebe und Schöne.’ (Thank you, God, for all that is good and dear and beautiful.)” – Anne Frank” quote=”“I lie in bed at night, after ending my prayers with the words ‘Ich danke dir für all das Gute und Liebe und Schöne.’ (Thank you, God, for all that is good and dear and beautiful.)” – Anne Frank” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”“Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good.” – Maya Angelou” quote=”“Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good.” – Maya Angelou” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero” quote=”“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”“When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” – G. K. Chesterton” quote=”“When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” – G. K. Chesterton” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”“The soul that gives thanks can find comfort in everything; the soul that complains can find comfort in nothing.” – Hannah Whittall Smith” quote=”“The soul that gives thanks can find comfort in everything; the soul that complains can find comfort in nothing.” – Hannah Whittall Smith” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”Gratitude and attitude are not challenges; they are choices.’ – Robert Braathe” quote=”Gratitude and attitude are not challenges; they are choices.’ – Robert Braathe” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity…it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” – Melody Beattie” quote=”Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity…it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” – Melody Beattie” theme=”style2″]

Dancing is another great way to thank someone for being a friend – at a safe distance, of course. 🙂