There are so many things to be grateful for in our lives:  our spouses, families, friends, pets, homes, neighbors, jobs, and communities.  Most of us are able to come up with a few things for which we give thanks!  What’s on your list?  We would love to hear about your attitude of gratitude!

In the United States, the modern Thanksgiving holiday tradition is commonly, but not universally, traced to a poorly documented 1621 celebration at Plymouth in present day Massachusetts.  I recently watched a movie starting Spencer Tracy about the initial pilgrim landing at Plymouth.  Oh my, what those people endured during that voyage!  None-the-less they were quite grateful both for the journey as well as the landing.  Their attitude of gratitude is one we all can learn something from as we live in our modern day world.

Are you aware that being thankful is strongly linked with both mental and physical health–and can help to relieve stress, depression and addiction, among other conditions?  Holidays can be difficult for people dealing with recovery.  It is often a time when the temptations are great and the stress overwhelming.  That often will lead people to revert to the old habits and the use of substances begins once again.  Try having an attitude of gratitude and see how that works as a coping mechanism.  We know it will work wonders.

I pray that where ever you celebrate your holiday season – all of your moments are filled with love, joy, peace, hope, safety, serenity, laughter and recovery!

“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh