The True Worth Of Thanksgiving!

An article by Roger    Comments Off on The True Worth Of Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving!

It’s a holiday which mean so much to so many!

For some it marks the holiday season, for others it the reuniting of family and friends to share a special meal. For others the memories are not so pleasant!

This year I find myself wanting to do something unique in hopes of reawakening the true spirit that has made this season so special in the first place. So it is that I share something that has been happening to me the last 6 to 8 months in hopes it gives you a new perspective you can share with those you care about this Thanksgiving holiday.

Being thankful is an easy thing to say it is yet a whole other thing to make it a part of your being and daily posture where we really are thankful. It seems our accelerating world and technologies have caused us to detach from caring about those around us and instead has caused us to become so easily engrossed in our own personal consumption of texting, movie watching and picture gathering.

Now don’t get me wrong here. In balance these things are okay and yet what I’m noticing is that so many people are so caught up in their own personal consumption that they are missing the very blessings of what makes life so valuable and that is the people in their lives. We forget to look at each other in the eyes and smile. It’s as if we are grasping for some kind of pleasure that can help make us feel better or happier yet the way we are going about it is not truly satisfying our hurt, broken, stressed out and tired hearts.  Instead it’s the true connection to a real human being face to face who truly loves you that can begin to satisfy.

A Deep Awakening Within.

Now I’m not going to get all preachy here because we have all had enough of that. Instead I want to share with you something that has happened to me over the last 6-8 months that has touched my heart in a unique way and that has awakened me to realize if I neglect this simple little process I can end up being rather selfish. This little realization has begun to build a different posture of gratitude and thanks giving in my heart like nothing else has. It was kind of a deep awakening within if you will.

Okay so like I said, for the last several months I’ve kind of had something interesting going on that this morning dawned on me to share with you this Thanksgiving Day.  Now you know we are all saying Thank-You and Happy Thanksgiving which is usually the traditional and customary thing to do.  So I waited the last few days to share something that would really help each of us to really be grateful for all the blessing we have been given around the world. Even though Thanksgiving is primarily a US holiday everyone around the world can take a moment and just be Thankful. So here is what began to happen.

The Roads Are Speaking!

I was in Brussels on a business trip and as I was being taken from the airport to the hotel it began to dawn on me that the roads were built by people who were in different places in their lives. Some were happy and grateful to have a job while others maybe were celebrating the birth of a new born baby. Still others were suffering tremendously. Some were deeply lonely after going through divorce, others just lost a significant other. Still others were addicted to alcohol and drugs to drowned out their pain. It was as if the road had a voice of it’s own it was trying to scream out to me. It then dawned on me further that it was the same for all the buildings, eateries, automobiles that we so enjoy. Then like a crescendo it became apparent that everything we enjoy and take for granted today, from the simple, like the toilet, to the complex, like an airplane, were all built on the lives of many who may be suffering all kinds of ailments. Yes there are tkose who’s lives were blessed with happiness but is pales in comparison to those who are suffering. As this awareness became more real, my heart began to melt in gratitude. But there was something more to happen.

The True Cost Of Things!

Now as this understanding continued to grow in me it suddenly merged with another understanding that had been occurring for the last 10 years of just how blessed we are to sit down to a meal and the actual cost to enjoy it. Let me explain…

There are actually three elements we are dealing with when we look at something. There is the physical amount we pay, the total cost that went into it , and the actual worth. But not in the traditional sense we have been taught.

You see the physical amount we pay only represents what we have labored over to have the money to buy the thing. It’s the amount of time and energy put into what we do to generate the funds to buy something, It’s obviously more than just the paper money. It represents your life. But what you are purchasing has a deeper cost. The cost of a meal is not what you paid for it. The cost is all the lives and their energy, emotions and time that went into producing it. That same energy and emotions of suffering or joy. But the real worth of that meal is so expensive you could never pay for it.

Here is what I mean.

You see think about everything that went into producing that meal. Let’s look at say the sweet potatoes. Okay for those of you who don’t like sweet ones, imagine your favorite food. What we need to remember that is it took 3 months of water and cultivating for that potato to be grown. Then it took some one or a machine to get it out of the ground to get processed, then it took labor and machines to get those potatoes bagged, a lift to put it in a truck and the truck with tires and gas to get it to a store that was built with materials and some one to place it on the shelf. But….

It Goes Much Much Deeper!

Now think of all those elements that touched the potato on it’s journey.

Take the truck. We needed years of trial and error to invent the truck. we needed equipment to mine the the mettle that made up the truck, we needed the wisdom to know how to mine the mettle and melt it into shapes. That goes for every kind of tool used in the process.

And what of the equipment and molds? Where did they come from and who helped do that?

Then the roads and the machinery to make those roads. What of them> Think about all the went into inventing pavement. The labor and years of invention. The lives and the money it took to make all that stuff.

You can go on and on all the way back to the beginning of time. The buildings that were made, the clothes that needed to be designed est, est.

Then of course there are the brave men and women who died all over the world so that society could advance. The mothers and fathers who wept at the loss of their children. Those who lost limbs and friends.

As you can tell it goes pretty deep. If you add up the total cost over time, which is what it took to get that meal sitting before you today and the total advancements of society including the wars… then you will begin to experience overwhelming gratitude.

Think of all the employers who took the risk and employed the people and gave them something to do. And what of each person who gave of their blood sweat and tears even when they did not get paid a fair and reasonable wage?

Now combine all these and you can understand the true Worth of what it took to get that meal to you today. The True Worth of Thanksgiving is more than we will every truly understand. It is Priceless!

But we can begin to open up to how much we have been blessed.

Of course…none of us would be enjoying any of these things had a wonderful and loving CREATOR started this journey and chosen for us to enjoy them.

So this Thanksgiving and beyond to Christmas and the years ahead, when you look at some one, know that their life as big or small, was invested into your life in some portion, so that you could enjoy what you do. Then look and them and say thank you to them and to GOD for being part of the blessing you enjoy!

Now let me just say Thank-you for being in my life and investing your life into mine. It’s because of what you do that helps make the world go round. Yes we may think differently, yes we may believe differently and have different points of view but in the end our lives contribute to the whole so we can each enjoy life. Thank You!

Count Our Many Blessings……and a Treat for Gratitude

There is a song called Count Your Many Blessings and it really is true. Just look at all the people in your email list. They all contribute some way in your life. There are too many for me to thank personally in the time and space I have here so please don’t be offended if I don’t mention you. I have to go and eat my Thanksgiving meal here soon so I have to do it quickly. But if you know me and I know you then thank you. You helped me along my journey.

Families to Be Thankful For!

Think of your parents, brothers sisters and in-laws. They are in your life and have invested time and energy in helping you live. They put up with all our faults and weaknesses as best they can and are still in our lives right? What about your children. They help you grow and be more patient, make you laugh and stretch you in your responsibilities. Maybe it’s a wife or husband  who said yes and then put up with all your faults and the huge blow and set backs you may have taken when you stepped out to build a business.

Friends To Be Thankful For!

Think about all the people who call you friend or are very friendly to you. That is a gift alone. It was once said if you have friends, $20 in your pocket, a roof over your head and food to eat, your wealthy. So if you have more than one friend then you are truly wealthy.

Business To Be Thankful For!

Now think of your business. The vendors who help you, the clients who trusted you with their business, their futures and their lives. What about your alliances, partnerships out-source vendors, assistants, VA’s, speakers and trainers? Without them you would be stuck trying to do it all on your own.

Myself I’m grateful to so many. There are a few who really stand out in how they have helped me. One such person was Danny Iny who’s own story matched mine. His free training that he bestowed upon me in his Business Ignition Boot Camp and his encouragement to write for his blog Fire Pole Marketing, as well as his awesome webinars encouraged me to press on despite my own set backs. http://www.firepolemarketing.com.

But think about all the things that enable your business to function. Something as complex as an airline. My airline of choice is United Airlines. The operations to make everything run from Curb to Curb is overwhelming and it’s so easy to take it for granted to get there on time. If you could see all that goes into making it work from Ticket agents, baggage handlers, food vendors and caterers, pilots and flight attendants, Mechanics, supervisors, weather professionals, flight planners, schedulers, security,  and all who make that operation work so well both to give work and get us where we need to go when we need to go there and to get there.

Health Care Professionals

Of course what about the countless number of health professionals that took care of you during your life for the common cold, to ear aches, to soar throats, broken arms, birthing babies or more serious issues? Their schooling and all that went into it…WOW

Our Entertainers

We so often are touched by a movie or a show and those moments can be used to help us carry on or inspire us to reach to your full potential. They comfort us when we are down and cheer us up when sad. Sometimes they help us to forget the problem for just a brief time so we can go on. And our entertainers would have no one to entertain if we their movie goers were not here to cheer them on, clap for them and say thank you. Their work would be meaningless.

Our Military Soldiers!

Then we have to think about our service men and women who give their lives every day around the world. Each person whether willing or not has to give of their lives and effort to protect those close to them and the things they believe in for freedom to reign true and pure!

Our Government!

Many would argue with me here but we do have to be grateful for the government. While it has changed it certainly is better than many countries. Our government has

been entrusted with our safe keeping. Despite the challenges remember it is people’s hard labor and dreams that built this country and it’s your responsibility to protect and honor the values that built this country.

Spiritual Guides and Mentors!

Then there are the countless people who have invested their lives in to helping you learn what you needed to learn and to develop spiritually to become a better Husband, Father, Wife, Mother Business person. Those who wrote the books that helped carry you on in the dark days like Os Hillman with his book Upside to Adversity, Nancy Missler’s Faith in the Night Seasons.

And what about the pastors and prayer warriors who pray for you that you may not even be aware of. For me I’ve had pastors partners who gave of their lives to help steer me right and help me grow. Some I’ve got to give special thanks for like Pastor Lu and his wife Cynthia  http://ADwellingplace.org who were there to help pick me up and stay the course when I lost everything the second time in my life., Pastor Wood who helped shepherd my family while I was traveling so much, Dr. Poland http://www.larrypoland.com who respectfully took my calls, met with me, an unknown, and emails and share his wisdom even with his busy schedule. He truly sees all people equal regardless of financial status., Dr Ron Jenson http://www.ronjenson.com who also took a risk and believed in me enough to come speak at an event without asking for a speaking fee and gave of his time to encourage me when I was on the Dark Side of the Moon! And of course…..

A Special Thanks!

For me personally I realize more and more each day, how GOD for allows me to live, to have a bit of health and family and friends to enjoy this short time on earth. So Thank you GOD….Without You and what Yeshua the CHRIST did none of these blessings would ever be possible.

So thank you for all you have done including the lesser things like allowing us the wisdom to make our technology, making Word Press, YouTube, Face Book, the innumerable websites, Host Gator the Internet, cars, radios, trucks, planes, buildings, toilets, and on and on and on. Especially the people who give us an opportunity to learn how to love and be grateful and to care for and learn the skills of life.

Okay so as you can tell the list could go on for days and weeks but am sure you get the ideas.

So when I tell you Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving this year, may it be one you will always remember and may you choke up with tears as you call and text those you care about for all they have done for you.

Why not share some things that you are thankful for to remind the rest of us things that we may have taken for granted.

Happy Thanksgiving my GOD, my family, my friends, my business colleagues and to the world.

I leave you with this little video treat to help you further enjoy your holiday.

Upward & Onward & Remember to Always Fly Right!

Roger

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About the Author: Roger