Thanksgiving Quotes that Put Life into Perspective All Year

Thanksgiving is one of the most magical days of the year. It’s the day we all gather round the holiday table to break bread, indulge and spend time with those closest to us. It’s one of the very few days each year when families manage to put aside their differences to enjoy a few hours together in the kitchen, watching football and listening to the kids play.

Of course, not all families can put aside their differences, so it’s also the same day that many families endure relentless passive aggressive comments, listen to the sound of overly-tired whiny kids, the sound of men debating which team is better and why, and the sound of mothers and mothers-in-law criticizing the cooking skills or parenting skills of their daughters and daughters-in-law. It’s such a great day, and it’s one that so many of us look forward to each year and probably just as many dread with a passion.

Whether you love the holiday or you wish it didn’t exist so that you don’t have to spend it with people who drive you crazy the other 364 days a year, there’s something to be said for Thanksgiving and all it has to offer. In fact, some people have said quite a bit about this gorgeous holiday, and we have some great Thanksgiving quotes for you to keep in mind this month.

“Eat Drink and Be Thankful”

At the end of the day, just do this. There is so much to be thankful for on Thanksgiving, and it’s always more important to focus on that and what the day really means than it is to let the nit-picking, passive aggressive comments and company that you might not love the most the rest of the year. The day is about being thankful, so focus on the eating, the drinking and the thankfulness that comes in abundance on this day.

“Gratitude helps us to see what is there instead of what isn’t”

It’s one of the most honest statements in the world. When you are grateful and thankful, you see all the good in the world. When you do not express your gratitude and thankfulness, you tend to see the bad. Why do you think it is that Thanksgiving and the Christmas holiday are always so filled with cheer? People are more likely to focus on blessings this time of year, and that’s what makes them see the good in life rather than the bad.

“Be kind, be thoughtful, be genuine, but most of all be thankful”

In all that you do, do it with thanks. Be thankful for every little thing, but don’t forget to be kind and genuine and thoughtful in the process. It doesn’t make sense to live a kind and thoughtful existence if you continuously forget to give thanks for everything .Give thanks for taxes taken from your paycheck because it means you have employment. Be thankful your kids are whiny and obnoxious at times, because it means they’re alive and well. Give thanks in everything.

“Give thanks with a grateful heart,”

It doesn’t work to give thanks if it’s not with a grateful heart. To say thank you for something you loathe does not make you feel grateful. Instead of focusing on the negative in a situation, give thanks with a grateful heart for the good that came or could come of the situation. It’s not that difficult in the grand scheme of life.  This is a quote from 1 Thessalonians 5:18, and it’s one of the most poignant versus in the bible, often used in excess this time of year, but it should be practiced regularly.

“Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love endures forever,”

From Psalm 107:1, this is a great quote on a day such as Thanksgiving. It reminds us wholeheartedly for all the good that is in our lives and where it comes from. It’s what most people give thanks for first and foremost throughout the year, and it’s something that really makes the holiday feel special when it’s remembered and even quoted around the table.

“Be thankful for what you have. Your life, no matter how bad you think it is, is someone else’s fairy tale,”

At the end of the day, someone else is wishing to have everything you have. Perhaps you wish you could have more money to afford a larger home or more expensive car. Someone else is wishing to have the same amount of money as you so that they can pay their mortgage and get their children a new pair of shoes for the start of the school year. How’s that for perspective? Be thankful for what you have. It’s a lot more than others have.

“Let our lives be full of both thanks and giving”

Being thankful is one thing, but being able to give is another. It’s far easier to feel thankful when we give than it is when we don’t. Giving doesn’t have to be monetary, either. It can be a matter of giving time, or donating items you have at home. It can be the giving of a second chance; it doesn’t matter. When we give what we have to give, we change our hearts.

“Thank you for the food before us, the friends beside us and the love between us”

If you don’t say this at the Thanksgiving table already, you should. It’s a very simple quote that often finds itself in use as a dinner prayer, particularly around the holidays. It’s a great way to give thanks to the things that matter most, such as the food you’re eating, the people joining you and the love you have for those people.

“I am thankful for my blessings are too many to count”

If you take the time to sit back and think about all your blessings, you’d realize the list goes on and on, because it does. There is so much to be thankful for, even on the worst of days. Remember this and you will find that you have fewer “worse” days and an abundance of happier days. It’s just perspective and how you perceive the world.

“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them is the true measure of Thanksgiving”

We can talk about our blessings day and night, but it’s how we use them that matters on a day such as this. What matters is being thankful for our children, but also using our kids to make the world a better place by teaching them well. We can be thankful for our wealth, but it’s how we use it that matters. You get the point.

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