More Than Thankful... Grateful

Did you know there’s a significant difference between being thankful versus grateful? If I’m thankful, I give thanks to my husband for making pizza on family night and the kids for doing the dishes. When I’m expressing gratitude, I’m noticing the overall value that family night adds to us and the sacrifices of each person to make an important evening a success. I’m conveying gratitude with affection, words, and warmth. 

This difference is the game changer because sometimes things we planned for family night do NOT go as planned- a pizza burns, an argument erupts, or something is said that hurts someone else. In these scenarios, I may not be thankful. With gratitude, I see opportunities. Opportunities to have conversations about what’s bothering someone, to unapologetically scrape the cheese and toppings off 2 slices of pizza and eat it (yumm), and to see the bigger picture. I don’t let a few negative moments strip the night of our opportunity to be present with one another. 

And for our family specifically, I can easily recall when my husband was working so many hours that we didn’t have a dedicated time to spend with our children together. I wanted it, I prayed for it, and now I have it. There’s a quote on my wall, “I remember when I prayed for the things I have now”. To me, that is the crux of gratitude- recognizing the blessings in our lives and not taking them for granted. 

How do you make the shift from thankful to grateful… well my friend, it starts by “being slow to speak, slow to become angry, and quick to forgive.” Whether you’re starting family night or already having them, you do it because there’s a desire to be closer. That desire is the constant reminder that you love the people in your life. You’ve seen the best and the worst and you’re choosing to inspire and encourage the best part of everyone at family night. Despite the outcome, gratitude is the acceptance that the love you have for them surpasses the outcome of the evening. If all goes well, great! If not, we carry on, pivot, and try again. Why? Because they’re worth it and so are you!

With love,
Rachel, Teach Me Pizza 

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