Day of Giving Thanks

Hello World,

It is Thanksgiving Day all over the United States. When the celebration of Thanksgiving began, it was a feast in celebration of giving thanks to God for a successful harvest. Thanksgiving tradition has long been a gathering of family and friends and a feast of food with a little football added in and oh yes the proclaimed biggest day in retail comes after this day, "Black Friday". I must digress for a moment, do we really need to call Friday, Black Friday? I mean I know the origination of the name was due to retailers making a profit (going into the black), but I so dislike it as it brings so many negative connotations--can't we just call it the beginning of the holiday shopping season? Anyway, back to my thoughts this Thanksgiving.

I think the holiday often loses its magic. We tend to get caught up in everything from making the perfect meal, to watching the game with family and friends to family traditions that we lose the simple magic in the meaning of Thanksgiving. It truly is the opportunity to give thanks for all that we have and all the people who have touched our lives.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It is not only a gathering of family, friends and food, but so much more. Our lives are not as simple as the originators of the holiday as it was obvious the gathering was to celebrate the harvesting of their crops. We are so far removed from the "harvesting" since most of us just simply go shopping, purchase the ingredients and cook. Albeit, lots of cooking for some.

But our harvest now is the many blessings we have been recipients of all year long. It is our annual gathering to celebrate what we have each harvested in our lives. It is a great opportunity to look over the past year and discover the magic in your life. My wish for today is that each of us take some time to think about the many things we have in our life to be grateful for. Make a list and share it with your loved ones. If you are someone who has undergone much difficulty in the past year, it helps to take note of the simple things like a roof over your head, food to eat, a beautiful sunny day, etc. It is that simple to begin your list of gratitude. This will help you to spread your love through gratitude and quite possibly even open someones heart to what they make be grateful for too.

Happy Thanksgiving to you. I am grateful for each and everyone of you in my life. You have touched my life in so many ways and I thank you for that.