Today is different from all the rest.
Today is a day to pause, to reflect, and to give thanks for what we have. It is easy to go the other way – to despair, to see what is wrong with the world, but there are plenty of days for that. Today we can be thankful for what is good.
Like family. No one understands us like the people who have walked hand-in-hand with us through life, seeing us at our best and worst, helping us through tragedy, and celebrating our victories. A family’s love is unconditional and enduring. Give thanks for your family.
(DOD)
Like friends – all of them. Some are new, some are fleeting, and some have been with us from the beginning. It doesn’t matter – they all add to our sense of worth and keep us grounded. They make us laugh from time to time, and give us comfort when life gets tough. Give thanks for them too.
(USNA)
And our country – warts and all. From here, close up, we see her blemishes and allow them to mask her beauty. But to those who must watch from a distance, who don’t enjoy what we have, she is stunning. We Americans are a raucous, loud and proud people – we’re that way because we live in a place that inspires the human spirit to soar, unencumbered by oppression or tyranny. There is no other place like ours, anywhere. Never has been.
(NPS)
No Thanksgiving should ever go by without giving thanks for the men and women who have worn the cloth of our nation. Without them our lives would be different. Without them all the things we hold dear would be in jeopardy. They are out there today, still. In desolate, far away places they stand watch while we enjoy the company of family and friends. They stay vigilant so that we can enjoy our peace at home, in America.
(DOD)
Give thanks for them all. Pray if you like – I will. But if you prefer to contemplate, or simply reflect, that’s OK too. Appreciate the blessings that life has brought you.
Tomorrow will bring with it new headlines, new heartaches, new outrages. But today, on Thanksgiving, we get to turn our backs on those things and simply be thankful for what is good in our lives. And that’s something to be thankful for too.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all.
