Happy Thanksgiving!

I think most everyone knows that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It seems to me that its one of the only holidays that still holds true to it's original purpose and meaning. The first Thanksgiving was a celebration of a successful autumn harvest, a time to celebrate blessings and to share them with others. How simple! That's why I love this holiday! It's simple, and I'm all about simplicity! It's a time of reflection, a time when most people do stop (even if just for a moment) and think about just how blessed they are. What other holiday can we say this about? Think about it...most of our holidays are consumed with stress and obligations, materialism and loss of meaning. Even Easter has become ridiculously commercialized.

Last Sunday at church, our pastor did a sermon called "The Grace of Gratitude", and I just loved it. He said, "The key to gratitude is perspective". It's all about what we are focused on. Are we grumbling or are we grateful? Most of us are usually grumbling about one thing or another. And then he posed a question that really got my attention...

What if all you had today was what you were thankful for yesterday?!

Wow! That's a startling question, and for me, an even more startling answer. As I sat in my seat and really reflected on that question, I realized that as much as I don't want to admit it, there are a lot of days I wouldn't have ANYTHING because I spent too much time complaining about what I didn't have instead of being thankful for what I do have. And that's sad.

We have so much to be thankful for - not just on Thanksgiving, but every single day! Like the celebration of that first successful harvest, I hope you too, will find joy in the simple things...the blessings of your family and friends, the food on your tables, and the shelter over your head. We wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!