Thanksgiving Day

Today it is Thanksgiving in Canada. It’s celebrated on the second Monday of October when people commemorate by gathering with loved ones and enjoy the Thanksgiving Day meal. The menu usually includes turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and Canadian desserts like pumpkin pie, nanaimo, butter tarts, etc. The origin and meaning of this holiday comes from years ago, when people showed gratitude for the harvest and other blessings of the past year. 

Gratitude is a character strength. It means being aware of and thankful for the good things that happen, taking time to express thanks and feeling blessed. The first time that I read this definition, something caught my eye. It is not just being aware. It is taking time to express it! 

I enjoy creating new traditions with my husband every year. It is a kind of Brietzig & Pereira tradition 🙂 For Christmas Eve we always make our Gingerbread house. For this Thanksgiving we started a new one. Actually it is not my idea, it comes from a Brazilian friend. In my last trip to Brazil my kind and precious friend gave me a “Potinho do Autocuidado” – a self-care jar. I should write on a post-it each time that I do something that pleases me and put this note in the jar. 

Today we created our Thanksgiving jar! We are going to put notes about everything that makes us feel blessed, joyful and grateful during the year – small and big things. Then next Thanksgiving Day we will read all the notes and celebrate and be grateful for it! 

Being thankful and expressing gratitude brings us a new perspective of life and generally brings one a healthier and happier life. It strengthens relationships and changes our mind, looking at life’s bright side. The more specific you are expressing thanks, the better your perspective will be. For example: It is more than just being thankful for friends. It is being thankful for the coffee that you had with your friend this week, when you truly were yourself, and could share your deepest thoughts.

I have already put some notes into my jar! Today I am grateful for God’s grace, my family’s health, my husband willingness to review my text in English and my sweet dog, when she brings her toy to play with me. 

What would you include to your Thanksgiving jar?