Another Thanksgiving Weekend

Another year has gone by in a flash and I sit here thinking about what I am grateful for this Thanksgiving weekend.  Just saying the words “the traditional family, friends, harvest, work, health” at first seems lame but then I think about how many people don’t have the traditional family, friends, harvest, work or health and I say “give your head a shake” because it is never enough or wrong or lame to be thankful for what we have.

       Indeed, Thanksgiving weekends come and go, we say the words but do we actually feel them?  Deep down, do we feel what it is to be thankful or grateful?  I don’t think we do, on a daily basis, because we take so much for granted.  We take the country we live in as safe and sound, but unless we pay attention to the news, pay attention to what happens around us, we don’t really realize that being Canadian is a wonderful privilege because it could be so much worse.  We don’t realize that having a home and a job are fantastic givens in our lives when many people don’t have homes or jobs.  More than we realize.

       Even looking internally, forgetting about what others have or have not, do we know what it means to give thanks to the universe for our lot in life?  I said to my Mom yesterday as we drove to the grocery store “I am so grateful for the wonderful childhood that I had” and she replied “It makes me feel good to hear you say that”.  It was a simple, impulsive exchange but it was genuine.

       I’m hoping everyone did look at their lives with gratitude and amazement because we really do have a lot to be thankful for.

       My cup runneth over.