Many of us refer to this holiday as "Turkey Day" but it's really not about turkey. Yes, Thanksgiving is said to have begun in 1621 when the Pilgrims and Indians shared a feast and gave thanks, so food has to be a part of it. BUT, THANKSgiving is about way more than food.
Now, everybody is thankful for something. Regardless of what that is for each and every one,
today is the day we are most thankful. But,
why just today? And I know a lot of you
probably participated in the month long event on Facebook about what you’re
thankful for. Again, why just this
month? We should really be thankful everday, for so many things. Not that any of you aren’t, but this holiday
is most publicized for that.
At some point today, a number of us will send out a mass
text to everybody in our phone and say it.
But today, since it is deemed the day to be thankful, I want to share
what I am thankful for, not only today, or the month of November, but EVERY day
of the year.
LIFE – I am
thankful that everyday of the year (thus far) I get to wake up, and enjoy the
good and the bad and the ins and the outs of life. Many are taken far too young, and so far I am
lucky enough to still be breathing.
RELIGION – I am
thankful because I have a religion, and because I have something and someone to
believe in. That I can pray to my higher
power, and those prayers are answered, and sometimes even unanswered prayers
can be the greatest gift (yes, I threw in a Garth Brooks reference, so sue me). And because I have faith and a Heavenly
Father, the good Lord above LETS me wake up each morning and LIVE the life that
I have been so blessed with.
FAMILY – My family
are what keeps me going. There are so
many people without families or who have lost part or all of theirs and aren’t
fortunate to be sharing Thanksgiving with anyone. I am fortunate to have so many wonderful
family members and be a part and share in other families, and fortunate to have
the best mom, dad, and brother a girl could ask for. I wish, as always, that my grandparents were
here, but I’m thankful for the years I had with them, and the memories I have
left to appreciate.
LOVE – Of course
I have love from my family, but I am grateful to have the man that I plan on
spending the rest of my life with. When we’re
young, we tend to think that about every relationship we’re in. It’s nature, but truthfully, when you know,
you’ll know…if that makes sense. When
you find the person that God created for you, you will know. There will be so many signs, like tiny pieces
of a puzzle that create one big picture.
Now, something may happen tomorrow, and Frank and I may not make
it. But, when you have two people who
love each other more than anything, and two people who are determined not to
give up but to fix the problems they have and not throw it away, the odds are
pretty good. He is my rock, and I am
thankful for each day and each moment that God lets me share with him.
FRIENDS – I am
thankful that I have some of the best friends in the world. No matter what, I know I can count on them,
and that they can count on me. That in
our own way, we are family. We love each
other, we look out for each other, we laugh with each other and cry with each
other, we are there when we need each other.
I am grateful to God for putting these special people in my life, and
for each day I get to hold on to them.
CHURCH – I am
thankful for Religion, but I am also thankful for a place to worship, for
brothers and sisters in Christ to pick me up when I have fallen and to support
me when I need it. I am thankful I can
go here on Sundays and share that faith with all of them, and that I am
stronger because of it. It is so
wonderful to be a part of something and share the faith as we do. The feeling is indescribable.
EDUCATION – I am
thankful I can go to school, that I can learn, and that I can better my life
with this knowledge. We all complain and
carry on about the challenges that we face in this journey, but truthfully, we
are better people because of it. I am so
thankful that I have had as many opportunities with education as I have.
WORK – I am
thankful to have a job when I need one,
and to be able to use that job to make new friends, to learn, and to see
people that I rarely see. I am thankful
for my work family, a group of wonderful people that I love dearly. There
is something to be said for having two or three occupations in life that you
can love and would do for free.
CHILDREN – I am
thankful for children. Sometimes, they
can put so much joy into a persons life with their innocence and their
smile. Watching children is a great
experience for anyone. Sometimes you don’t
even know that you do it, but you watch a little girl play in the park, or a
little baby being fed by it’s mommy in a restaurant, the cute little faces they
make. They are our future, all of
us. The children of today will grow up
to be the leaders of the free world. But
they are ours to teach and to love.
Raise your children right, be thankful for them, and give them all the
love they need. I may not have children,
but there are some that I love dearly and would be lost without. I’m thankful to their parents for sharing
them with me.
MUSIC – I am
thankful for music. My life would be so
boring and somewhat empty without it.
Music is a godsend. And I don’t
discriminate, I am thankfor for it all.
In general, I’m just thankful. I’m thankful I can travel; to school, on
vacation, to concerts. I am thankful I’m
a sister and a daughter. I’m thankful I’m
a girlfriend. I’m thankful I am
physically able to write this. Even the
tiniest of blessings we sometimes miss.
I am thankful for even the worst times in life because there are better
things ahead, and sometimes we do not appreciate the good without having been
through the bad.
So, take at least one moment of your day today not just to
say you’re thankful, but thank those responsible – your family, your friends, soldiers,
the LORD above – anyone who has made your life as wonderful as it is. I am blessed to have too many people to count
to thank. But I want to thank each and
everyone who reads this.
Enjoy your day, and give thanks!
