Thanksgiving always brings up incredible visuals, smells, sounds and emotions for me and none of them can be found ‘naturally’ in California, but as they say life marches on.
Whenever we find ourselves going back in time — which for me, often happens at the holidays — it’s a great idea to reflect on the past as a gift rather that a burden or whatever other emotion first comes up for us.
Thanksgiving is really about gratitude – nothing more, nothing less. Gratitude is focusing on what we have and cherishing it however small, rather than what we don’t.
A few great quotes worth sharing, sure to move you into the mood if you’re not already there:
Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone. ~G.B. Stern
If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, “thank you,” that would suffice. ~Meister Eckhart
There is no such thing as gratitude unexpressed. If it is unexpressed, it is plain, old-fashioned ingratitude. ~Robert Brault
Gratitude is the memory of the heart. ~Jean Baptiste Massieu, translated from French
Gratitude is an art of painting an adversity into a lovely picture. ~Kak Sri
As each day comes to us refreshed and anew, so does my gratitude renew itself daily. The breaking of the sun over the horizon is my grateful heart dawning upon a blessed world. ~Terri Guillemets
I’ll end with Emerson:
For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
