. Stop, Look, & Listen During Thanksgiving

It is going to be Thanksgiving this week.  Yeah!  My favorite holiday is here.  No presents to worry about buying, wrapping, and giving.  No precedents to keep with parties, Christmas cards, and decorations.  Nothing but good, plain loving, sharing, and delicious food.  So this week, as my hint, I suggest that you stop, look, and listen.

1)  Stop and smell the aroma of your spouse, your children, your home, and your backyard.

2)  Look into everyone’s eyes and discover the color of each.  Then say, “I really do love you!”

3)  Listen (with your eyes closed is better) to the sounds of your life.  The faraway train whistle, the music of children’s laughter, the drumming of the  baby’s toy on the floor, the sound of your spouse shaving.

Lastly, take time this week to do something small, simple and thoughtful for each one of these important people in your life:  One simple act of kindness.  The gratitude will spread up and outward, soon filling your day with great purpose and direction.  It is true, ordering your priorities this week by stopping, looking and listening (and doing) will help get your gratitude genes in high gear.

Then, after you have done your kindnesses, ask each of your family to do one small favor for you.  You see, we fill the most needed when we have been asked to help.  So let them help.

“Please get down the turkey platter for me, honey.”

“Please sweep the front porch really nicely, son.”

“Please shine the bathroom taps, sweetie.”

Please, please, please.  Don’t make the jobs hard, long, or difficult.  But let them help.  That feeling of being needed, of being wanted, and of having already had a kindness done to them will touch something inside.  They will actually (eventually) want to do help:  you, their siblings, and some day a total stranger.  It is by small and simple things….  Happy Thanksgiving!

Find more helpful ideas in the House of Order Handbook.