We are thankful to God that we are doing something that uses our gifts and that we are able to do this every day of our lives. That’s a lot to be thankful for.
I think that thankfulness goes beyond “things” for which we are thankful. To the mental and spiritual state of just being thankful. Just uttering the words thank you has been miraculous in my life.
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I (David) am thankful for a piano teacher I had in my years of musical development, Gladys Ives Brainard. She was a retired professor from Lawrence University in Appleton, WI. She was so very hard on me and insistent that I could do better. It wasn’t for her comfort or pleasure that she pushed me. It was because she knew I could succeed. But she knew I needed someone to make sure it happened. Of course, in many lessons, I wasn’t thankful…at all, but as life unfolded, I understood. The lessons she taught me helped shape my life and project me forward with the confidence to persevere. Thank you, Miss Brainard. You were one of the most significant people in my life. ​

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Thankfulness is the soil in which joy thrives.
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Appreciation can change a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary. Margaret Cousins.
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Thankfulness is the beginning of happiness.
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Gratitude makes sense of our past,
brings peace for today,
and creates a vision for tomorrow.
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I learned a few years ago that one of the things
I can offer is thanksgiving
even in many difficult and dire situations. 
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Thankfulness is not something God gives us.
It is not a spiritual gift
and it is not a spiritual fruit.
We can receive God’s peace joy and love,
but thankfulness is something that we
give to God and to others.
It is a choice that we make.
Let us thank Him today
with songs of celebration,
hearts of strong devotion
and acts of admiration. Roy Lessin

 I am thankful for what I am and have.
My thanksgiving is perpetual
Henry David Thoreau.