Gratitude and Jokes

My sister Pat had Thanksgiving lunch for her family today.   She is always kind and invites Rick and me.  It was fun and loud and lots of great food.  Pat has great-grandchildren and they love to tell jokes.  They are ages 6-9 and they informed me today that they had books filled with jokes that they loved to read.  Their favorite joke today,  " Do you know how the tree gets on the internet?  He logs on."  They told that joke to us several times and each time they howled with laughter.

Of course Rick told them his infamous Easter pig joke.  " Do you know what goes hippity hop through the mud?  The Easter pig!"  They loved it.

So tonight I am grateful for a loving sister who includes us in her gatherings, for children who love to laugh, and for a table full of food.

This week is Thanksgiving.  There are many who do a gratitude ritual each November.  They find something each day of November to be thankful.  I am glad for that ritual, but honestly, we should find something everyday of the year to be grateful for.  I encourage gratitude in my classes.  Without gratitude, there is no joy.  Some days are hard and  maybe there seems to be little to be grateful for.  On those days, be grateful you can breathe and as you start to think about it, you will be surprised at all the little things you remember to be thankful for.

Tomorrow, be kind and be grateful.