Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is, more or less, the 404th anniversary of the very first Thanksgiving meal celebrated by the pilgrims and the Wampanoag people. We don’t know the exact date in 1621 when the two groups got together and gave thanks. Back then it was a three-day harvest festival. In fact, while we know the pilgrims were Christians, it was the natives who suggested the time of gratitude – just one of the many thankful days that the tribe commemorated throughout the year. 

Sadly, our nation hasn’t always been great about remembering to give thanks. As we told you last week, even though President George Washington issued a proclamation of “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer” in 1789, for a long time there was no regular Thanksgiving holiday.

 But in a time when our country seemed to be at its worst, President Abraham Lincoln brought Thanksgiving back. It was a way of celebrating unity and gratitude in the midst of the worst conflict we had known - brother against brother, neighbor against friend. Thanksgiving was a time to set aside differences and join together for a communal meal.

The Power of Gratitude

But it was never just about a meal. Nearly every movie or TV show that has ever been produced with the holiday theme has that scene we all know – where everyone at the table goes around taking turns and saying what they’re thankful for. They always act like no one has ever thought of such a thing before, but we accept it because we get it too. Expressing gratitude makes everyone’s life better. 

The University of California at Berkeley did a 3-year research project to prove it. They spent  more than $5 million to learn just how significant gratitude can be in our lives. The Greater Good Science Center proved that being grateful and keeping a journal of gratitude, instead of complaining, resulted in better sleep, fewer symptoms of illness, more happiness, less anxiety and depression, increased self-esteem, less stress and reduced negativity. 

That alone should make you sit up and decide to make gratitude a more significant part of your life. The Bible also teaches us to be thankful. Paul writes countless times to be grateful in any circumstance, thanking the Lord. In Romans 1, Paul even calls not being thankful to God a sin. 

Writer and speaker Henri Nouwen says, “Gratitude as a discipline involves a conscious choice. I can choose to be grateful even when my emotions and feelings are still steeped in hurt and resentment. It is amazing how many occasions present themselves in which I can choose gratitude instead of a complaint…The choice for gratitude rarely comes without some real effort. But each time I make it, the next choice is a little easier, a little freer, a little less self-conscious…”

Taking Back Our (Thought) Lives

The National Science Foundation found that the average person thinks between 12,000 and 60,000 thoughts every day. 95% of those are repeat thoughts, and 80% tend to be negative. Our thoughts define our actions unless we take control and act, forcing our brains to course-correct. 

Licensed clinical psychologist and yoga teacher Dr. Kimberly Martin points out, “If I say I’m thankful I woke up today to do great things, I want to make sure that I do some great things that day. What am I going to do with that feeling of thankfulness? How am I contributing to my well-being and the well-being of others?” 

Just a single decision to be thankful can change your whole day, and with your day, your whole life. 

Want medical proof? Dr. Robert A. Emmons of the University of California, Davis, and Dr. Michael E. McCullough of the University of Miami conducted a study where they asked people to spend a few minutes, once a week, writing about things they were thankful for that week. A second group was told to write down complaints and the control group just wrote about things that happened. The grateful writing group, after just 10 weeks, were more optimistic, felt better about their lives, exercised more, and needed to see a doctor less. Some of them even slowed down the process of aging!

Grateful to Give Back

Here at Good News Pest Solutions, we want you to know we are always grateful for you, our clients and customers. We’re thankful for our well-trained staff, both in the office and in the field. Our teams are the best in the business and we try to make a point of always thanking them for it. We’re thankful for our community and ministry partners. 

We’re thankful for our families and significant others that support us in doing this work. That’s why we take the time to celebrate them and to make sure our personnel get days to spend time with their loved ones. So, just as a reminder, we’re closed today and tomorrow for just that purpose. We’ll be back Monday morning for all your pest control needs. 

Happy Thanksgiving!