On Giving Thanks

It’s a good thing our calendar includes celebrations. This has a long history within enlightened civilizations and is a good reminder for those of us who have good forgetters. In fact, there are so many lesser observances we can’t remember much less observe them (like Great Grandparents Day maybe?).

Thanksgiving Day is one of the grand celebrations. It reminds us of the Pilgrims, their hardships, perseverance, alliances and ultimate vindication: the USA which we enjoy. Nowadays, Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of families getting together, maybe not quite Over the hills and through the woods to Grandmother’s house we go (another  senior moment?). More like airports and freeways, holding patterns and traffic jams but we get there, one way or the other.

Now, why be thankful? True, some have to search hard for something for which to give thanks. Still others have so much that giving thanks is not on their agenda. Most of us probably fall in between somewhere. So, let me give thanks (you can add your own later).

I’m thankful I had a set of God-fearing parents. This resulted in God-fearing siblings, spouses and in-laws (who were not outlaws). A good beginning.

I’m thankful for a loving spouse, wonderful kids, a roof over my head, wheels (not a skateboard) beneath my feet where I vow to not talk on the phone while I drive.

I’m thankful for mobility after eighty years with a six-year old hip, a memory bank overflowing and for those who lend their skills to make life more manageable.

I’m thankful for being an alumnus of several institutions of learning including the School of Hard Knocks which has often been even more beneficial than diplomas.

I’m thankful for friends, neighbors, colleagues and even strangers who have crossed my path, enriching and invigorating my comings and goings.

I’m thankful for the Good Book which takes the guesswork out of my sense of direction even though it makes demands I’ve often found difficult to fulfill.

I’m thankful for modern technology so I can computerize my thoughts instead of utilizing handwriting that few can decipher and for grandkids to program the remote.

I’m thankful for so many things I don’t know where to begin or where to end. Since I am near the bottom of the page (my prefixed limit), I’ll stop now so you can collect your wits and pen your own thanks.

Do have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday with your family and friends. Or if you’re alone, discouraged, lonely or disillusioned, and find it difficult if not impossible to give thanks, dig a wee bit deeper and you’ll discover something or someone for which to give thanks. Then, do it. Giving thanks, even anonymously, will make your day. Guaranteed.