Franklin Matters: Franklin.TV: I Thank, Therefore I Am

Sunday, November 20, 2022

Franklin.TV: I Thank, Therefore I Am - Grateful

Thanking is the best kind of joyful thinking.

Pete Fasciano, Executive Director 11/20/2022

Cogito ergo sum. I think, therefore I am. This is the central concept in his philosophy. The fact that I am thinking means that I exist.

Now we can consider the nature and qualities of thoughts that we wish to embrace. Find and nurture some good ones. Own your mindset. For me? I thank. Therefore I am ever grateful. Good days become better days. Bad days are lessened.

Living in thankfulness – in gratitude – is a life-learned skill. None of us is born grateful. When we were very young, we were taught to say the magic words, “Thank you”. A perfunctory nod to receiving some gift or favor. However, throughout our bumbling practice of living, some of us eventually figure it out. With the passing of years, we can become increasingly grateful. To be truly grateful is not an obligation. It is a special joy. Thanksgiving is our annual reminder to preserve that joy – to try again.

It’s a day filled with family, friends, food, football. I would also add forgiving. This is an ultimate form of grace and gratitude. Forgiving and thanks giving help us to remove our barriers to gratitude and to joy.

Finally, there is receiving. We have all received much. Often, we are unaware of all that we have received. Be grateful in your receiving, even for all those things which are not known, and gracious in your giving – and forgiving – even for those things which are not known.

There, in that profound gratitude and grace, the joys of the season lie.

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