The days are flying by as always. Wasn’t it just Spring? What happened to June? Seems like yesterday was July 1st, and now here we are six days in. As I sit here tonight, there are two words on my heart that are asking me to pause and reflect upon them – “grateful” and its partner “thankful”.
Grateful vs. Thankful
Every November, I read posts about what others are thankful for; however, I wonder about how much they are grateful. I believe there is an inherent difference between being thankful and being grateful. Let’s look at the basic definition for each:
- Grateful – feeling or showing an appreciation of kindness; received or experienced with gratitude; welcome.
- Thankful – pleased and relieved; expressing gratitude and relief.
Do you see the difference? I do. It’s the word “kindness”. You can always be pleased and relieved about whatever, but kindness is something that comes from deep within you, and is delivered with a level of sincerity that is completely transparent.
What I am Grateful For
Don’t get me wrong…I will always be thankful for everything that has come my way. I am thankful for a comfortable bed, a roof over my head and food on my table. Yet, I am grateful that:
- I feel loved by all my family, friends and God;
- my husband still considers me his best friend;
- others look to me for guidance and wisdom; and,
- I can recognize when others are not feeling their best and I can step up to offer my help without being prompted.
There is so much more I could share, but I am waiting for another time to do that. Perhaps this coming November we should not only share about what we are thankful for, but also, what we are grateful for. Now that I think about it thought, wouldn’t it be better if we didn’t wait for a single month to do this. Why not do it every day? Sounds like a good idea to me.
Wishing you moments to be not only thankful, but grateful.
