Don't Forget Your Gratitude and Thanks

Peyton Shea
Delta Delta Delta

I hope that everyone had a relaxing Thanksgiving holiday. We all have so much to be grateful for: living in the best state in the country, going to Texas Tech, having Chipotle close to campus, and being a part of the Greek system. However, in all seriousness, the realization that I have so much more to be thankful for always seems to dawn on me when I am sitting around my cousin’s dining room table, laughing uncontrollably with my entire family during our Thanksgiving feast.

This past year, I have seen many people lose a family member or a loved one. Though God’s timing and his plan is greater than we will ever know, it is always hard to watch someone be taken up to his kingdom because it means we are left here without them.

It is important to not take those in your life for granted. Furthermore, it is important to verbally express your gratitude to others. It is easy to believe that those who you are grateful for know that you are grateful for them, but I have learned that expressing your gratitude to them means the most. I came across a quote that really hit home:

“To educate yourself for the feeling of gratitude means to take nothing for granted, but to always seek out and value the kind that will stand behind the action. Nothing that is done for you is a matter of course. Everything originates in a will for the good, which is directed at you. Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude.” –Albert Schweitzer

I think that the most important line of this quote is the last line: “Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude.” Do not wait until tomorrow to tell someone how much they mean to you; tell them right now because you never know what tomorrow might hold. God is a gracious God, he is all-powerful and all-knowing.  It is not up to us when he will put his plan into action. Therefore, take a second to call your grandpa, aunt or whomever you are thankful for and tell them!

Take a moment during this holiday season to look around and see how many blessings you have been given. Try to not focus on the negative parts of your life and focus on the positive ones. I will leave you with another quote I saw on Pinterest (duh).

“ Dear God, thanks for this beautiful life and forgive me if I don’t love it enough.” – Instant humility. 

Peyton is a junior studying public relations. You may contact her at peyton.shea@ttu.edu.