Although you may not feel that you have much to be thankful for, the Thanksgiving holiday gives you an opportunity to find some things. Thankfulness is important for many reasons. Some of these include letting go of resentments, letting go of the desire for revenge, and letting go of the desire for paybacks. When you find things that you are thankful for, there is little to no room for negative emotions. Thankfulness also helps improve your attitude. Who in their right mind wants to be around someone who nags or gripes all the time? Your attitude will do more than your aftershave or make-up to attract your spouse to you. If you think what makes a difference is your muscle tone or your new stiletto heels, you are mistaken. Having a good attitude makes a world of difference.
If you have nothing to be thankful for consider this. A new study has found that the divorce rate is dropping off due to the recession. Perhaps the economic downturn may be helping your situation after all. Who knew?
Best Regards,
Jeff Murrah
3 Responses
I have a great deal to be thankful for …even though from reading my posts here it may appear that I am not practicing gratitude or remembering all of the blessings that I have enjoyed throughout my life.
In fact through all of our marriage I made a conscious effort to be content , hope and to count my many blessings.
I do not want to be argumentative here at all …I agree that a contented heart can make it through any kind of situation or trial….a person who is aware of the many ways our Lord has provided even in the darkest situation is still ahead of the game in terms of outcome. I even heard that smiling releases healthy hormones and works the muscles of the face in a sort of natural ‘face lift’ sort of way …I think this is true.
Throughout my husbands deceitful past ways…it seems he thought everything was great and I was happy despite the ways I tried to nicely approach the areas in our relationship that were not being addressed.
His head in the sand due to HIS happiness being set upon things and people outside and instead of our marriage and family …did not notice or appreciate the upbeat tone at home.
Being thankful to the Lord was indeed beneficial and good for our family but it did NOTHING in terms of attracting my husband…Once he had his eyes and heart set on all the glittering offerings of the outside world he did not SEE us …did not hear what was being offered him .
I often read that wives must inform their husbands …so they will know what is needed and desired…so that they will feel they can open up and feel safe in sharing what they think ,feel and need.
This did not work with my husband ..it is like he soaked up all the good feelings from our family and then went out and distributed his life and energy elsewhere .
He was never really thankful for any of what we offered….he always was looking for more …a better position at work , a shinier , sexier car…..a bigger house….more risky activities…
It was like living with a James Bond wannabe. To some degree he carried it off pretty well since his career path led him to some pretty high powered people with little concern for any kind of limits or boundaries.
We did not live all that lavishly at home…in fact we had a lot of used furniture which is not all that bad at all …but whenever he was going to entertain …at a rare moment ..he would go and purchase some nicer furniture …
I used to think this was prudent…And I also made it a point to tell him that I did not have to have a fancy home….it is nice but I did not want him to kill himself to work to pay for it ..I would rather have him able to spend time with us.
SO it seems gratitude is something one must PRACTICE no matter what life’s current conditions are …it STILL is the best way for us to live…
I am sad that he has never cared to learn contentment ….I appreciated all that he did and bought for us and tried to be a good steward.
He saw this as useful for him to have more to spend upon himself and his girlfriend….it did not bother him to steal from us ..He felt the money he made was HIS ..and in a way I see that I was only an employee.
I wish he had stayed in the first career …less opportunity to cheat…less money …and maybe more growth in loving and appreciating the things that matter most in this life.
I am thankful for THIS site…for YOU Jeff and your lovely wife.
I am thankful for the people going through this trial who are working to make their lives healthier and are willing to share in their journey .
Thank you all and may the Lord continue to pull you through tough times and help you grow as you work things out…
Hugs all
Zaza,
Thank you for your kind words. When we deal with such painful topics, it is easy to get lost in the pain and not express our thanks and gratitude. When something touches our lives and families like affairs, it often strikes a MAJOR nerve, and it is hard to have a thankful attitude.
You are so right …and so supportive…thank you again for offering understanding and good supportive advice to keep in mind!