William Arthur Ward (1921-1994) is known as “America’s most quoted writers of inspirational maxims.” His works would often appear in Reader’s Digest, This Week, and twelve other well-known magazines. He was the author of four books and more than one hundred articles.
I like the wordiness of this quote by Ward. It sounds like a secret recipe with only one ingredient: gratitude. It’s just one simple word that changes everything. Just for the sake of reaffirmation, let’s break it down into three points.

Gratitude:
– transforms common days into thanksgivings
– turns routine jobs into joy
– changes ordinary opportunities into blessings

For example, when we only remember to be grateful when our hearts are full, when we’re observing a beautiful sunset, or sitting around the table with family, we’re missing out on its full-time potential. We should remember to be grateful on common days, routine jobs, and ordinary opportunities. When you’re at work, at school, sitting in a waiting room, stuck in a traffic jam, cleaning up the house all by yourself, or babysitting those neighbor kids (who love to terrorize you by playing hide-and-seek and not coming back until the parents pull into the driveway, forcing you to explain to them why you have lost their children in their own home), we always need to remember the word gratitude. It changes everything.

Gratitude: the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

When we leave out gratitude, thankfulness, and appreciation for all of our many blessings, all we have left is a bucket load of complaining, grumbling, and misery when it comes to our attitudes. So, if you find that there’s an excess amount of complaints, grumbles, and discontentment in your everyday life, I suggest that today you take a sticky note, place it on your wall, in your car, or by your computer, and write just six words on it:

“Is my attitude filled with gratitude?”

It’s likely to be a good reminder for when life isn’t all picnics and roses or when it’s just easy to be ungrateful. On bad days, it will help us remember that gratitude is a choice worth choosing, and that being thankful isn’t just for Thanksgiving; it’s for life.
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Have any other ideas to keep “gratitude” on our minds?
Are you ready for Thanksgiving?
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Megan Joy