With the holidays fast approaching, it’s time to anticipate potential stressors related to the holiday season and plan how we might take advantage of opportunities to give, forgive and express gratitude.

I am inviting you to consider specific ways that you can express your giving, forgiving and gratefulness during the upcoming holidays. One way of becoming motivated to give and forgive might include being reminded of the many blessings and the many advantages we enjoy that are often taken for granted. We have to be reminded to count our blessings, to smell the roses and to think about ways that we can reciprocate some of those blessings by helping improve the quality of life for others.

For some, expressing gratitude may involve looking past things that are wrong or less than optimal in our lives in favor of highlighting the many things that are right and things for which we can be grateful. In terms of giving, there are numerous ways that we can give back some of the blessings we have received. They include, but are not limited to, volunteering time and offering services without the expectation of payment. And, as we contemplate forgiveness during the holidays, we might take some time to reflect on times that we erred and were forgiven and then consider blessing someone else with the gift of forgiveness.

Sometimes when things are not going as well as we would like we must intentionally remind ourselves of the multitude of things in our lives, both big and small, that are going well. Even those that feel they have experienced less than optimal circumstances themselves over the past year are invited to take a moment to reflect on those things, however obscure, that are often overlooked that are good and helpful and right in our lives. Many things that are critically important and valuable to our well being are rarely recognized as the gifts and blessings that they are. For example: Perhaps you could see, walk, talk, make your breakfast and/or do any or all of the other routine activities of daily living. Not everyone can. Did you have a place to stay and a place to play? Not everyone did.

What will you do and what changes will you make to insure that no matter what others do or say, or how they think, feel or behave, you will take the necessary steps to make sure you feel good about the giving and forgiving choices you make and the gratitude you express for the blessings you enjoy daily during the upcoming holiday season.

Remember, you cannot control other people, what they do or say, how they feel or the choices they make. But, you can control how you react to them and to the world by your giving and forgiving responses and by the choices you make.