grateful.

grateful.

I have found myself smiling – even in moments of despair. Where could this possibly come from? I say God.

Being grateful is so opposite of how you’re feeling. But when you choose to think about the good that’s happened in the bad and being thankful, something good happens inside of you.

“Tell a friend or loved one a story about something for which you are grateful.

Don’t be surprised to find yourself smiling by the end of that story.”

-Rabbi Brad Hirschfield

 

good-friends_l

~~~

tell.

tell.

I have found myself smiling – even in moments of despair. Where could this possibly come from? I say God.

2. Articulate It

Tell a friend or loved one a story about something for which you are grateful.

Don’t be surprised to find yourself smiling by the end of that story.

-Rabbi Brad Hirschfield

thankful.

thankful.

It’s a challenge to think about being thankful when you’re facing difficult times. I know first-hand what it’s like to not have enough money to pay the bills, to shop with $40 for the week and have to decide between cheese and bread or eggs and bread.

I used to hate the optimistic quip “when life gives you lemons make lemonade!” It seemed too easy. Too pat. Too happy.

But now, I get it. It is reckoning with the fact we live in a broken world where lots of bad things happen. But lots of good things happen, too. When we think too much about our difficulty, we become consumed with it.

Choosing to think about the good things isn’t positive thinking. It’s coming to terms with what is true and choosing to find what is good and happy in your life – and being thankful.

Rabbi Brad Hirschfield gives us “8 Ways to Stay Thankful in Hard Times” – we’ll look at 1 each day.

1. Find What You’re Grateful For

      

The real uncertainty we face about our economic future can make us quite fearful and sad. Locating those things for which we can still be grateful, brings joy even in the face of those challenges without pretending they are not real.

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