Gratitude in November

Dear Reader:

I was thinking the other day about the difference between two words….gratitude and thankfulness. I love how the Oxford Dictionary distinguished the two. It said:

The Oxford Dictionary defines the work “grateful” as “showing an appreciation of kindness.” This where the difference lies; being thankful is a feeling. Being grateful is an action. … Gratitude is when we dwell on more than just the feeling of thankfulness.

I had never thought about the difference, yet it is two different perceptions.

Example: “Thankful is just a feeling” – We sure were thankful for all the help when we moved. (And the feeling and sentiment ends there)

Example: Gratitude is the act of demonstrating an appreciation of kindness.

We brought a meal over for you in gratitude for helping us move into this wonderful neighborhood.

This year I want November, the month of Thanksgiving, to have more gratitude involved than just good (thankful) thoughts.

If any of you have a printer and some card stock paper…here is a little surcie for you for this month of Thanksgiving. (I am going to read my last Louise Penny book using it. It is a potential book marker.)

It contains quotes dealing with thankfulness and gratitude (not just in November) for life. And I feel, especially thankful and grateful for all I have today while writing this blog… which is such a gift for me.

So until tomorrow… I like Max Lucado’s definition of gratitude:

“Gratitude gets us through the hard stuff. To reflect on your blessings is to rehearse God’s accomplishments. To rehearse God’s accomplishments is to discover his heart. To discover his heart is to discover not just good gifts but the Good Giver. Gratitude always leaves us looking at God and away from dread. It does to anxiety what the morning sun does to valley mist. It burns it up.”

“Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

Nancyjean Nettles and I met for lunch at Oscars yesterday and it was so fun catching up in our lives. I taught some of Nancyjean’s children and now they have children….all beautiful and wonderful…life is amazing! * Here’s a life’s ‘little extra”– our waitress brought us an extra glass with ice and two spoons to make sure the utensils stayed cool while eating it. Now that’s service!

About Becky Dingle

I was born a Tarheel but ended up a Sandlapper. My grandparents were cotton farmers in Laurens, South Carolina and it was in my grandmother’s house that my love of storytelling began beside an old Franklin stove. When I graduated from Laurens High School, I attended Erskine College (Due West of what?) and would later get my Masters Degree in Education/Social Studies from Charleston Southern. I am presently an adjunct professor/clinical supervisor at CSU and have also taught at the College of Charleston. For 28 years I taught Social Studies through storytelling. My philosophy matched Rudyard Kipling’s quote: “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” Today I still spread this message through workshops and presentations throughout the state. The secret of success in teaching social studies is always in the story. I want to keep learning and being surprised by life…it is the greatest teacher. Like Kermit said, “When you’re green you grow, when you’re ripe you rot.”

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