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“When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
Motivation Mondays: MLK Day – I Have A Dream Speech
In celebration of Martin Luther King Jr Day,(January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968, ) I’ve decided to share both the video and script of his famous speech at the Lincoln Memorial on that fateful day in 1963. It is remarkable that the refrain “I Have a Dream” was not part of the planned speech but I am grateful that he was so inspired to utter those famous four words. Enjoy the memories and read up on other posts I have shared over the years on Dr. King. May his spirit and message continue to resonate with us.
In his iconic speech at the Lincoln Memorial for the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, King urged America to “make real the promises of democracy.” King synthesized portions of his earlier speeches to capture both the necessity for change and the potential for hope in American society.
MLK SPEECH: I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation. [applause]
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves [Audience:] (Yeah) who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity. (Hmm)
But one hundred years later (All right), the Negro still is not free. (My Lord, Yeah) One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. (Hmm) One hundred years later (All right), the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later (My Lord) [applause], the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself in exile in his own land. (Yes, yes) And so we’ve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
In a sense, we’ve come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence (Yeah), they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men (My Lord), would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. (My Lord) Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked insufficient funds. [enthusiastic applause] (My Lord, Lead on, Speech, speech)
But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. (My Lord) [laughter] (No, no) We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. (Sure enough) And so we’ve come to cash this check (Yes), a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom (Yes) and the security of justice. (Yes Lord) [enthusiastic applause]
We have also come to this hallowed spot (My Lord) to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. (Mhm) This is no time (My Lord) to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. [applause] (Yes, Speak on it!) Now is the time (Yes it is) to make real the promises of democracy. (My Lord) Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time [applause] to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time (Yes) [applause] (Now) to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent (Yes) will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. (My Lord) 1963 is not an end, but a beginning. (Yes) And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. [enthusiastic applause] There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
READ:- Motivation Mondays: Silence Is Betrayal – #MLKDAY
Motivation Mondays: Reflections on #MLKDAY 2019
Motivation Mondays: Walk in the Light #MLKDay 2018
Motivation Mondays: Why Does #MLKDAY Matter? 2017
Martin Luther King, Jr. at Columbia | Columbia Magazine
Continued below
“And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
Martin Luther King – I Have A Dream Speech – August 28, 1963
“I Have a Dream,” Address Delivered at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
Author:
King, Martin Luther, Jr. (Southern Christian Leadership Conference)
Date: August 28, 1963
Location: Washington, D.C.
Genre: Audio Speech
Topic: March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, 1963
Audio: Listen to Audio
Details
MLK SPEECH CONTD: But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: in the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. (My Lord, No, no, no, no) [applause] We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. (My Lord) Again and again (No, no), we must rise to the majestic heights (Yes) of meeting physical force with soul force. (My Lord) The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people (Hmm), for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny [sustained applause], and they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.
And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?” (Never) We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. (Yes) We can never be satisfied [applause] as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. [applause] We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. (Yes) We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating for whites only. [applause] (Yes, Hallelujah) We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. (Yeah, That’s right, Let’s go) [applause] No, no, we are not satisfied and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters (Yes) and righteousness like a mighty stream. [applause] (Let’s go, Tell it)
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. (My Lord) Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. (My Lord, That’s right) Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution (Yeah, Yes) and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith (Hmm) that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi (Yeah), go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities (Yes), knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. (Yes) Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. (My Lord)
READ:- Motivation Mondays: I Have A Dream – #MLKDay 2016
Motivation Mondays: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Most Inspired Quotes 2015
Weekly Photo Challenge: What Does Humanity Mean? 2014
The details for Motivation Mondays are below. Join in! The themes for DEC 2020 – JAN 2021 are:
12/01 – 01 Giving Tuesday, World AIDS Day, 02 Int’l. Day for Abolition of Slavery, 03 Int’l. Day of Persons with Disabilities, 05 International Volunteer Day, National Repeal Day
12/06 – 06 St Nicholas Day, 07 Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, Int’l. Civil Aviation Day, 10 Hanukkah (Start), Human Rights Day, 12 International Day of Neutrality, Int’l. Universal Health Coverage Day
12/13 – 13 National Day Of The Horse, 15 Bill of Rights Day, 17 Wright Brothers Day, Nat’l. Maple Syrup Day 18 International Migrants Day
12/20 – 20 International Human Solidarity Day, 21 Start of Winter (Winter Solstice), 25 Christmas, 26 Boxing Day, Start of Kwanzaa,
12/27 – 27 St Johns Day, 31 New Year’s eve
National Pie Day, National Day of Giving – #GivingTuesday, Rosa Parks Day, National Repeal Day, St. Nicholas Day, National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, Human Rights Day, Chanukah Begins, National App Day, National Salesperson Day, National Day Of The Horse, Bill of Rights Day, National Maple Syrup Day, National Twin Day, Winter Solstice, National Re-Gifting Day, Christmas, Pledge of Allegiance Day, National Hero Day, National Champagne Day, New Years Eve, Universal Hour of Peace
01/01 – 01 New Years Day,
01/10 – TBD
01/17 – TBD
01/24 – TBD
01/31 – TBD
Continued Below
“Every piece of the universe, even the tiniest little snow crystal, matters somehow. I have a place in the pattern, and so do you. Thinking of you this holiday season!” T.A. Barron
MOTIVATION 2020: 31 GRATITUDE TIPS FOR THE HOLIDAYS!
Blessed is the season that engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love. Hamilton Wright Mabie
May your walls know joy, may every room hold laughter, and every window open to great possibility. Mary Anne Radmacher
You can tell a lot about a person by the way they handle three things: a rainy day lost luggage and tangled Christmas tree lights. Maya Angelou
Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand, and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home. Edith Sitwell
Happy Holiday Season! HAPPY HANUKKAH! MERRY CHRISTMAS/KWANZAA! What a great gift to learn that after 9+ months of battling a global Covid-19 pandemic, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. The vaccines have arrived and if we can all exercise some patience and follow the standard CDC guidelines of wearing a mask, social distancing, and washing our hands regularly, we will enter 2021 with hope and a grateful heart. Typically, this is a time of great activity; gifting, giving/receiving, and worrying about all sorts of things and the pandemic has added an unpredictable twist to the mix. We are in a season of holiday celebrations and special events, and we must make the best of it for ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities. We had the start of Hanukkah on the 10th, Winter Solstice on the 21st, Christmas Day will arrive on the 25th, and Kwanzaa on the 26th and so much to be grateful for. This year, we even had the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn a rare event that according to NASA hasn’t happened in nearly 400 years since the planets passed this close to each other in the sky, and nearly 800 years since the alignment of Saturn and Jupiter occurred at night. WoW! What memories of 2020 will you carry with you into 2021? Which ones will you leave behind?
2020 has been a challenging year of unprecedented firsts, frustrations, and moments of grace. It is time to take stock of all the painful and pleasurable events that have brought us to the end of 2020; some great, some good, and some just sad/awful. Regardless of what kind of year this has been for us, it is important to take time to reflect, express our gratitude, and stay motivated to start 2021 on a stronger and more positive note. We can start by creating our own list of gratitude tips that kept us going during the darker, scarier months of Covid19, and by recognizing that the current surge in cases and loss of life demand that we become vigilant and considerate of others. I have culled a list of 33 gratitude tips, most of them shared by my pastor, Pastor Buddy Cremeans of Northway Church, that we can hold onto as we wrap up the year.
1. Gratitude makes us happier
2. Gratitude makes people like us
3. Gratitude makes us healthier
4. Gratitude boosts our career
5. Gratitude strengthens our positive emotions
6. Gratitude develops our personality
7. Gratitude makes us more optimistic
8. gratitude makes us kinder
9. Gratitude increases our spirituality
10. Gratitude makes us less self-centered
11. Gratitude increases our self-esteem
READ:
Motivation Mondays: DECEMBER WISHES
Motivation Mondays: Happy Holiday Wishes
Motivation Mondays: Enjoyment of Life
Motivation Mondays: Cherish Christmas & Holidays
And soon will the holidays come;
Oh, ’twill be so funny, I’ve plenty of money,
I’ll buy me a sword and a drum. “Thus said little Harry, unwilling to tarry,
Impatient from school to depart;
But we shall discover, this holiday lover
Knew little what was in his heart. For when on returning, he gave up his learning,
Away from his sums and his books,
Though playthings surrounded, and sweetmeats abounded,
Chagrin still appear’d in his looks. Though first, they delighted, his toys were now slighted,
And thrown away out of his sight;
He spent every morning in stretching and yawning,
Yet went to bed weary at night. He had not that treasure which really makes pleasure,
(A secret discover’d by few).
You’ll take it for granted, more playthings he wanted;
Oh, naught was something to do. We must have employment to give us enjoyment
And pass the time cheerfully away;
And study and reading give pleasure, exceeding
The pleasures of toys and of play.To school now returningto study and learning
With eagerness Harry applied;
He felt no aversion to books or exertion,
Nor yet for the holidays sigh’d. via famouspoetsandpoems.com
“The joy of brightening other lives, bearing each others’ burdens, easing others’ loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of the holidays.” W. C. Jones
MOTIVATION 2020: 31 GRATITUDE TIPS FOR THE HOLIDAYS!
It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving. Mother Theresa
Holidays – any holiday – are such a great opportunity to focus on bringing the family together. Lidia Bastianich
It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal and that every path may lead to peace. Agnes M. Pharo
Christmas is the season when you buy this year’s gifts with next year’s money. Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough. Oprah Winfrey
What stays constant for you during the holiday season? Despite the ravages of the pandemic, the holiday season is a time of reckoning and beckoning. We stop and review the events of the year by facing hard facts while preparing to celebrate the beckoning festivities with loved ones. I often observe a mood shift in people; folks seem a tad more hopeful, cheerful, and happy about the impending holidays. This year is different because of the loss of many lives from Covid19. Over 2000+ lives are being lost each day in the USA, and that translates to many families who will spend this holiday season mourning. While there is some excitement in the air about the holidays, we must remember to share our gratitude for life by helping other families in ways we can.
Share your gratitude and goodwill this season: If we could package the excitement by sharing some of it with struggling families and putting some in reserve for the coming year, we’d all have a positive boost in both our energy levels and our spirit. Of course, all of this depends on our attitude and our feelings of gratitude. Instead of counting all the ways the pandemic unraveled our lives, we can spend our time creating new and positive memories to help us wrap up the year. While we are at it, we can dig up any precious, miraculous moments that gave us hope in the human condition this year… If we look closely, we will find them. Create your list of good things that you are grateful for this year. As the year wraps up, ask yourself: What am I grateful for this year?
12. Gratitude improves your sleep
13. Gratitude keeps us away from the doctor.
14. Gratitude lets us live longer.
15. Gratitude increases our energy levels.
16. Gratitude makes us more likely to exercise
17. Gratitude helps us bounce back
18. Gratitude makes us feel good
19. Gratitude makes our memories happier
20. Gratitude reduces our feelings of envy
21 Gratitude helps us relax.
READ:
Motivation Mondays: The Holiday Season
Weekly Photo Challenge: A PATH
Weekly Photo Challenge: NOW – Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!
Musings: Merry Christmas Wishes…
Kept by ourselves in silence and apart;
The secret anniversaries of the heart,
When the full river of feeling overflows;–
The happy days unclouded to their close;
The sudden joys that out of darkness start
As flames from ashes; swift desires that dart
Like swallows singing down each wind that blows!
White as the gleam of a receding sail,
White as a cloud that floats and fades in air,
White as the whitest lily on a stream,
These tender memories are;–a fairy tale
Of some enchanted land, we know not where,
But lovely as a landscape in a dream. via famouspoetsnadpoems.com
The details for Motivation Mondays are below. Join in! The themes for OCT – NOV 2020 are:
11/01 – 01 All Saints Day, Daylight Savings Ends, 02 All Soul’s Day, 03 Election Day, 05 Guy Fawkes
11/08 – 08 National STEM Day, 10 Science Day for Peace & Development, 11 Veterans Day, 13 World Kindness Day
11/15 – 15 National Philanthropy Day, 16 20 Universal Children’s Day
11/22 – 25 International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, 26 Thanksgiving Day, 27 Black Friday
11/29 – 30 Cyber Monday
National Diabetes Month, Lung Cancer Awareness Month, National Adoption Month, National Native American Heritage, Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience, National Veterans and Military Families, National Family Caregivers, National American History and Founders Month
12/01 – 01 Giving Tuesday, World AIDS Day, 02 Int’l. Day for Abolition of Slavery, 03 Int’l. Day of Persons with Disabilities, 05 International Volunteer Day, National Repeal Day
12/06 – 06 St Nicholas Day, 07 Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, Int’l. Civil Aviation Day, 10 Hanukkah (Start), Human Rights Day, 12 International Day of Neutrality, Int’l. Universal Health Coverage Day
12/13 – 13 National Day Of The Horse, 15 Bill of Rights Day, 17 Wright Brothers Day, Nat’l. Maple Syrup Day 18 International Migrants Day
12/20 – 20 International Human Solidarity Day, 21 Start of Winter (Winter Solstice), 25 Christmas, 26 Boxing Day, Start of Kwanzaa,
12/27 – 27 St Johns Day, 31 New Year’s eve
National Pie Day, National Day of Giving – #GivingTuesday, Rosa Parks Day, National Repeal Day, St. Nicholas Day, National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, Human Rights Day, Chanukah Begins, National App Day, National Salesperson Day, National Day Of The Horse, Bill of Rights Day, National Maple Syrup Day, National Twin Day, Winter Solstice, National Re-Gifting Day, Christmas, Pledge of Allegiance Day, National Hero Day, National Champagne Day, New Years Eve, Universal Hour of Peace
More Below
“Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.” Henry Van Dyke
Motivation Mondays: THANKSGIVING POEMS & QUOTES
Wear gratitude like a cloak, and it will feed every corner of your life. Rumi
Be thankful for what you have. Your life is someone else’s fairy tale. Wale Ayeni
It is not happy people who are thankful. It is thankful people who are happy. Unknown
It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful. David Steindl-Rast
A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue but the parent of all other virtues. Marcus Tullius Cicero
We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction. H.A. Ironside
Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this, too, was a gift. Mary Oliver
Gratitude is a divine emotion: It fills the heart, but not to bursting; it warms it, but not to fever. Charlotte Brontë
Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy. They are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. Marcel Proust
At some point in life, the world’s beauty becomes enough. You don’t need to photograph, paint, or even remember it. It is enough. Toni Morrison
What I love about Thanksgiving is that it’s purely about getting together with friends or family and enjoying food. It’s really for everybody, and it doesn’t matter where you’re from. Daniel Humm
HAPPY THANKSGIVING: On November 26, we will celebrate our very first pandemic thanksgiving, and most of us will observe the rules of social distancing, gathering with only our closest family, and having smaller/quieter meals. We live in unprecedented times, the world is being ravaged by the scourge of Covid-19 – the Coronavirus that reared its ugly head in late 2019 and continues to decimate communities around the globe. While so many of us are grateful for life and the chance to share a meal with our nearest and dearest family, we must all remember to send our prayers, virtual hugs, and well wishes to all who lost loved ones this year. It’s going to be an extraordinarily tough year for so many folks and our support and compassion will go a long way.
Typically, this season is a heightened time of anxiety and stress for people as we juggle gathering with family and friends and trying to figure out who to stay away from or how to complete work-related tasks. This year is different because we won’t be gathering with everyone but the stress and anxiety remain for a slew of reasons that include whether to celebrate at all, and how to handle financial, health, and social distancing concerns. My advice is to keep it simple. Spend more time in a spirit of gratitude and consider offering donations to those in need.
READ: Motivation Mondays: GIVING THANKS
Motivation Mondays: GIVING
10 Tips: Cultivating An Attitude Of Gratitude & Thanksgiving
Be Thankful by Anonymous via discoverpoetry
Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don’t know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes.
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary,
because it means you’ve made a difference.
It’s easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who
are also thankful for the setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings.
The Pilgrims Came by Annette Wynne
The Pilgrims came across the sea,
And never thought of you and me;
And yet it’s very strange the way
We think of them Thanksgiving Day.
We tell their story old and true
Of how they sailed across the blue,
And found a new land to be free
And built their homes quite near the sea.
Every child knows well the tale
Of how they bravely turned the sail,
And journeyed many a day and night,
To worship God as they thought right.
The people think that they were sad,
And grave; I’m sure that they were glad—
They made Thanksgiving Day—that’s fun—
We thank the Pilgrims, everyone!
Thanksgiving Deferred by Anonymous
I bless Thee, Lord, who hast restored my sight;
Where were my thanks through all my years of light?
Thou liftest me again; Thy praise I tell;
Where was my gratitude before I fell?
Thou healest me; glad thanks to Thee belong;
Alas, my thankless heart when I was strong!
My fetters Thou dost loose; all praise to Thee!
And yet I praised Thee not when I was free.
I bless Thee, who dost all my ills remove;
But ah, when all was well, where was my love?
Thanksgiving by William Stanley Braithwaite
My heart gives thanks for many things;
For strength to labor day by day,
For sleep that comes when darkness wings
With evening up the eastern way.
I give deep thanks that I’m at peace
With kith and kin and neighbors, too —
Dear Lord, for all last year’s increase,
That helped me strive and hope and do.
My heart gives thanks for many things;
I know not how to name them all.
My soul is free from frets and stings,
My mind from creed and doctrine’s thrall.
For sun and stars, for flowers and streams,
For work and hope and rest and play —
For empty moments given to dreams,
For these, my heart gives thanks to-day.
“Give thanks not just on Thanksgiving Day, but every day of your life. Appreciate and never take for granted all that you have.” Catherine Pulsifer
Motivation Mondays: THANKSGIVING POEMS & QUOTES
‘Thank you’ is the best prayer that anyone could say. Alice Walker
Be present in all things and thankful for all things. Maya Angelou
I love Thanksgiving because it’s a holiday that is centered around food and family. Marcus Samuelsson
Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. Robert Brault
He who thanks but with the lips thanks but in part; the full, the true Thanksgiving comes from the heart. J.A. Shedd
For me, every hour is grace. And I feel gratitude in my heart each time I can meet someone and look at his or her smile. Elie Wiesel
Hello, sun in my face. Hello, you who made the morning and spread it over the fields. Watch, now, how I start the day in happiness, in kindness. Mary Oliver
Even in the trials of life, if we have eyes to see them, we can find good things everywhere we look. Joanna Gaines
Look at the sky: That is for you. Look at each person’s face as you pass them on the street: Those faces are for you. Miranda July
Thanksgiving day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men; but be careful that you do not take the day, and leave out the gratitude. E.P. Powell
I am grateful for the blessings of wealth, but it hasn’t changed who I am. My feet are still on the ground. I’m just wearing better shoes. Oprah Winfrey
HOW DO YOU PLAN TO CELEBRATE THANKSGIVING? This year, I won’t have my usual Thanksgiving gathering with my family because we are scattered across the NorthEast, and social distancing and safety precautions dictate that we keep it simple until the vaccine is distributed and the coast is clear. We will chat by phone or Zoom, send virtual blessings to each other and keep our fingers crossed and hearts ready for a Christmas get-together instead. I won’t be able to volunteer to serve at a food pantry, soup kitchens, or shelter either because of the pandemic so, I made a donation instead at my local Stop and Shop so food can be delivered to families in need. There are other ways we can help as many charities like Feeding America, America’s Food Fund, God’s Love We Deliver, our local charities, and even more, you can find through Charity Navigator, need our support this season.
On Thanksgiving Day, I will share a meal with one of my kids who has been home with me since April. We decided to order Chef Chloe Coscarelli’s Vegan Meal for 2 from Whole Foods. The menu is quite tasty and includes an impressive serving of the following foods: Cremini Mushroom Roast Loaf, Mushroom Gravy, Miso Creamed Greens, Coconut Sweet Potato Casserole, Jalapeño Cornbread Dressing, and Pumpkin Curry Soup. For dessert, we will give the Scarlett Pie a try and wash it down with sparkling water. No alcohol here. No turkey either. I know… it’s really okay. We will share a few stories, give lots of thanks for our meal, and maybe watch a movie. The TWO operative words for this season are GRATITUDE and SIMPLICITY. What about you? What would you do differently?
READ: Motivation Mondays: Thanksgiving Wishes
Motivation Mondays: THANKSGIVING
Motivation Mondays: THANKFUL
How to Observe Thanksgiving by Anonymous
Count your blessings instead of your crosses;
Count your gains instead of your losses.
Count your joys instead of your woes;
Count your friends instead of your foes.
Count your smiles instead of your tears;
Count your courage instead of your fears.
Count your full years instead of your lean;
Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.
Count your health instead of your wealth;
Count on God instead of yourself.
Thanksgiving by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
We walk on starry fields of white
And do not see the daisies;
For blessings common in our sight
We rarely offer praises.
We sigh for some supreme delight
To crown our lives with splendor,
And quite ignore our daily store
Of pleasures sweet and tender.
Our cares are bold and push their way
Upon our thought and feeling.
They hang about us all the day,
Our time from pleasure stealing.
So unobtrusive many a joy
We pass by and forget it,
But worry strives to own our lives
And conquers if we let it.
There’s not a day in all the year
But holds some hidden pleasure,
And looking back, joys oft appear
To brim the past’s wide measure.
But blessings are like friends, I hold,
Who love and labor near us.
We ought to raise our notes of praise
While living hearts can hear us.
Full many a blessing wears the guise
Of worry or of trouble.
Farseeing is the soul and wise
Who knows the mask is double.
But he who has the faith and strength
To thank his God for sorrow
Has found a joy without alloy
To gladden every morrow.
We ought to make the moments notes
Of happy, glad Thanksgiving;
The hours and days a silent phrase
Of music, we are living.
And so the theme should swell and grow
As weeks and months pass o’er us,
And rise sublime at this good time,
A grand Thanksgiving chorus.
Be Glad and Thankful by Anonymous
Little children, are you tempted,
Sometimes, to be cross and fret,
Just because you cannot always
Have your selfish wishes met?
Did you ever for a moment,
Think how very rich you are,
In that little hand so clever,
Full of grace and beauty rare?
Close those eyes so full of sunshine;
Let them never see the light;
Grope your way here ever after;
Let your life be one long night.
Or let sickness touch your body;
Lay you on a bed of pain;
Bid those little feet so active,
Never run and play again.
Now, dear children, tell me truly,
For your hands, or eyes, or health,
Shall I give you gold or silver,
Till you are increased in wealth?
Shall it be ten million dollars,
In your coffers, I will pay,
And from out this three-fold blessing,
You will give one strand away?
O, no, no! not for one moment,
Would you hesitate to choose;
You would quickly spurn my offer
Rather than these blessings lose.
Learn then to be glad and thankful,
And with all things be content;
For behind each little trial
Is a needful lesson sent.
A Thanksgiving Alphabet by Anonymous
T…Turkeys, table spreads, being together,
H…Happiness, and homes to protect us from all-weather,
A…Aunts and uncles, a reunion in Fall,
N…Nieces and nephews, family members all!
K…Kind-hearted kin coming over for dinner,
S…Surely you’ll have fun, but you won’t get thinner!
G…Gourds and pumpkins, mouths open wide.
I…Indians and Pilgrims we remember with pride.
V…Very special times-there could even be snow.
I…Imagine what it was like at Plymouth long ago.
N…Never forget how the settlers led the way,
G…Giving thanks and blessing this special day.
Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. Oprah Winfrey
Thanksgiving was never mean to be shut up in a single day. Robert Caspar Lintner
I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual. Henry David Thoreau
An attitude of gratitude goes a long way when it comes to physical and emotional healing. Jill Bolte Taylor
Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our Thanksgiving. W.T. Purkiser
Appreciation can change a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary. Margaret Cousins
Make it a habit to tell people thank you. To express your appreciation, sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return. Ralph Marston
When you recognize that you will thrive not in spite of your losses and sorrows but because of them… the word for that is healing. Cheryl Strayed
Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good. Maya Angelou
The details for Motivation Mondays are below. Join in! The themes for OCT – NOV 2020 are:
10/01 – 01 Nigeria Independence, 01 National Poetry Day, 02 World Smile Day
10/04 – 05 World Teacher Day, 10/10 World Mental Health Day
10/11 – 11 International Day of the Girl, 12 Columbus Day, 16 World Food Day, 17 International Day for Eradication of Poverty
10/18 – 21 World Mission Day, 20 World Stats Day, 24 United Nations Day
10/25 – 26 National Pumpkin Day, 31 Halloween
National Breast Cancer Awareness, National Domestic Violence Awareness, National Disability Employment Awareness, National Energy Awareness Month, National Substance Abuse Prevention, National Cybersecurity Awareness
11/01 – 01 All Saints Day, Daylight Savings Ends, 02 All Soul’s Day, 03 Election Day, 05 Guy Fawkes
11/08 – 08 National STEM Day, 10 Science Day for Peace & Development, 11 Veterans Day, 13 World Kindness Day
11/15 – 15 National Philanthropy Day, 16 20 Universal Children’s Day
11/22 – 25 International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, 26 Thanksgiving Day, 27 Black Friday
11/29 – 30 Cyber Monday
National Diabetes Month, Lung Cancer Awareness Month, National Adoption Month, National Native American Heritage, Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience, National Veterans and Military Families, National Family Caregivers, National American History and Founders Month
MORE BELOW
