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Thanksgiving: Can You Be Thankful for the Good and the Bad?

This is a time of year to be grateful for the freedom that our country offers. This is an American holiday. We, as a people, have the opportunity to make infinite choices and have infinite experiences. It is our free will that opens us to all that this life has to offer. So, how might we expand our gratitude this Thanksgiving?

Each year we are given the opportunity to be thankful for our freedom in life and our freedom to choose. People generally express thanks for their loved ones, their home, their career, their ability to travel, their meals, etc. We tend to think of giving thanks for the “good” things in our life. It is a time to “avoid” the “bad” things. What if we weave the bad things into our gratitude?! Some of you will think I have lost my mind but I have not.

Everything that you experience in this life is with purpose: great purpose. If the experience stirs any of your fear-based emotions, e.g., hurt, loneliness, or abandonment/loss, you may have a tendency to ignore those experiences at this time of Thanksgiving. Some of those experiences are too painful to completely ignore and so they interrupt your holidays.

So what if you address the pain with gratitude for what is on the other side of it? What if you acknowledge the difficulties this year brought and know, in your heart, that they were there to push you forward into greater freedom and love? To help with this concept, look back into the past. Remember a very difficult experience that occurred. In the aftermath of that experience there was a growth that occurred. The growth may have occurred because of the experience or in spite of the experience but it occurred. Furthermore, if you change any ONE of those experiences, you would not be who you are today!

So, as you say thank you for all that you are, you may want to say thank you to all that brought you to this beautiful place! Remembering, of course, that the challenges in this life are some of your greatest healing times! Be grateful for them. Embrace them. Then you will further transcend them!

On an extra note, if the pain that you suffer is the loss of a loved one, please be grateful that they are with you in spirit. Allow the opportunity for their presence to be a part of your Thanksgiving holiday and more. Thank them for their presence and for their guidance and protection. Thank them for all the joy and challenge they brought to your life when they were alive and with you physically. Open your heart and your mind to allow the embrace of those on the other side to be a part of this holiday!

I thank you all for your support in my writings and teachings. I will express my deepest gratitude for you all and for the life we are all given on this auspicious day. Happy Thanksgiving to you and all of your family and friends.

2 Comments »

  1. So beautiful and thought provoking. Love you. Mom

    Comment by Phyllis B. —

  2. Kristen,

    This article resonated with me. As you know, I had a health challenge this year and, rather than dwelling on fear-based emotions, I viewed my condition and recovery as a wake up call and a source of inspiration to become a better version of myself. During treatment, I remained calm and placed my faith in health care professionals. I strived to follow their advice in my recovery. Now, six months later, I am grateful for the changes that those challenges have brought to my life, and I am better and stronger as a result. Thank you for reminding us that gratitude shouldn’t be limited to our favorable experiences or conditions. Happy Holidays to you and yours!

    Best regards,

    John

    Comment by John Mulhall

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Kristen Bomas, PA
398 Camino Gardens Blvd., Suite 104
Boca Raton, Fl 33432

561.212.7575
KB@KristenBomas.com

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