Richard Froese
Thanksgiving weekend is around the corner, just as a federal election to elect our national government winds down.
Some people may say the words giving thanks and government don’t belong in the same sentence.
Give thanks every day of the year, not just on one designated day or weekend. Take time each day, every day, to list 10 things you are thankful for from the previous day.
It seems many people spend more time to complain than think and talk about things and people they are thankful for.
Keep a journal of thanks.
I thank government; local council, school board, MLA, MP; for …
I thank my friends, neighbours, employers/employees and community for …
I thank my family for …
I thank my school for …
Other people will more.
I thank my church for …
I thank God for …
If you want to complain, think of just one thing and what you plan to do to resolve any issues. Write it by hand. A person remembers notes when then are handwritten because you actually see the word and sentence form and it registers better in your mind.
Over time, you will see that you are more blessed.
A happy life is a contented life. Be content, be thankful.
When people travel to other impoverished and Third World countries, many are impressed by the joy the local people have, despite having very little and poor living conditions.
Canadians have so much more than most people around the word. Why do people who have very little seem to be happier than those of us in a country where we have practically everything we need?
Think about everything you have, that most of the people around the world don’t.
- If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof on your head and place to sleep, you are richer than 75 per cent of the world.
- If you have money in the bank, in your wallet and spare change in a dish, you are among the top eight per cent of the world’s wealthy.
- If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than one million people who will die this week.
- If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.
- If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest torture or death, you are more blessed than three billion people around the world.
Those facts were stated in a book Choose to Live Life by Anita Pearce, published in 2007.
When people express thanks to others it also spreads the spirit of cheer and optimism and hope in families and communities.
Nobody wants to hear people complain all the time. That’s what is heard in the current federal election and the provincial election in the spring.
Canadians can be thankful for the right to vote in a democracy. Remember, millions of people around the world don’t have the right to vote. So, consider that as you head to the polls to cast your ballots on Oct. 21 or sooner.
Remember, taxes help governments provide community grants, social supports, good health care, education, highways and roads, drinking water, recreation, and other programs and services.