Cats & Saying Thank You

My husband and I have long been trying to guess the mixture of breeds in one of our cats.  When the vet shrugged his shoulders we realized it might be a long shot, but we still try from time to time if we see something that makes us go, ohhh - maybe he's part [fill in the name of a breed of cat here] that.

This morning my husband told me he'd seen a program on Animal Planet where he saw a cat that could be like the elusive heritage of the Fuzzums.  (The cat has a better name, but that's his nickname.  It's far more suitable.)  So I started looking for pictures online.  When I logged into the MSN homepage, I saw a link to an article about gratitude.  I read the article which basically said that saying thank you is good for you, but failed to offer a lot of empirical data to back that hypothesis.

Then again, perhaps it's hard to quantify something as intangible as the factors which make our lives better.  I have far too many things for which to give thanks, and so many of them might seem small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things - but they make my little world a better place.  I try to say thank you every opportunity that I have but if you - anyone reading this - have not been told by me that I am grateful to have you in my life then  please know it was an oversight that doesn't reflect how I really feel.  I believe that people come into our lives for a reason, and that means that you, my gentle reader, are here because I am blessed to know you - even if only via words on a screen.

So in the spirit of Thanksgiving 2009, I wanted to share a few quotes with you on the subject of being grateful.

• At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.
  Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. (Albert Schweitzer)
• Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful. (Buddha)
• Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary. (Margaret Cousins)
• If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice.  (Meister Eckhart)
• There is as much greatness of mind in acknowledging a good turn, as in doing it. (Seneca)

Back to the cat - we still don't know what kinds of parents and grandparents Fuzzums had, but we're grateful for his little fuzzy presence in our lives - whatever mixture of breeds he might be. (And as a side note to which other cat owners can relate - we're very grateful that he hasn't gifted us with any hairballs today.)

Happy Thanksgiving in the United States - and happy Thursday/Friday to the rest of the world.  May you have a day filled with moments for which to give thanks.