Have you thought about what does Thanksgiving mean to you? I love Thanksgiving because it’s a holiday that transcends all religions, all cultures, and all ethnicities. It’s about the basic notion of “giving thanks” and it’s really become a holiday that everyone loves.
First, there’s the food. Second, there’s the food. Did I mention the food? How about the turkey? The yams? The stuffing? And, my favorite: pumpkin pie. Ahhhh. Need I say more?
I believe that gratitude is the major ingredient to happiness, and I learned this from Dennis Prager, the talk-show host, columnist, and author. So, on this Thanksgiving, I’m going to share with you just a few of the many things that I’m grateful for, and some that I’ve solicited from my readers, Facebook and Twitter friends, and Radio Show listeners. Finally, I will share quotes from those famous and not so famous, that I found on the Internet.
My “thanks” would fill up more than one column, but I’m going to limit them to just these few:
My good health!
My family!
Finding a second career that I love, that I’m passionate about, that I believe helps others, and that I enjoy getting up for every day.
My wife’s exceptional cooking.
Buying, moving into, and my wife fixing up and decorating our new house this summer.
Living in the United States.
My “thanks,” were in no order, though I suppose the first two were my favorites without a doubt. I really am grateful for my good health and my wonderful family, first and foremost.
What does Thanksgiving mean to you ? Following are some “thanks” from my readers and listeners:
I am thankful for family, healthy and good friends IRL (In Real Life) and here. (TheJackB – Los Angeles, California).
I am in the USA and my family is hosting Thanksgiving this year for the first time in a long time. I am thankful for the way my son wraps his little hand around my finger when we cuddle. I am thankful for the way our cat, Nicky, likes to connect my husband and me with a single touch. I am thankful for the means to pay for a nice Thanksgiving meal, and for family to share it with. I am thankful for the wonderful health of my mom at 71, and the cuteness of my Nephew at 4. I am thankful for the friends in my life, new and old, who validate me every day. (Karen Kay, Jackson, Mississippi).
I’m thankful for my family (just had a family reunion last month), our relatively good health, our comfortable home, our country (freest of all), a functioning car and all that I know. (Mr. Kinley Hardin, Fort Smith, Arkansas).
There is much to be thankful for in this world and in this life. Gratitude is a healing way of life. I am grateful every day that I open my eyes and I can see, it is only through the miracles of God that my vision was restored after a horrible accident. I am grateful with all my heart for a loving family that opened their hearts and homes to a teenager they did not know, their home is where I learned that I was worth loving. I am grateful for a man who saw past the angry broken being that I was and chose me anyway. We have been married 28 years. I am grateful for five marvelous people whom the Lord chose to send to me to raise, my children gave me a whole new perspective on what love truly is. I am grateful for friends who love me in spite of me. I am grateful for opportunity and adversity, they make me grow. I am grateful for the chances that come my way to do something good for someone else; it helps me to look beyond myself. I am grateful for my faith in God, through it He gives me comfort, strength, hope, and real joy. (Tracy Cummins, Hawaii).
Following are quotes from the famous and not so famous that I culled and found on the Internet:
As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Thanksgiving, man. Not a good day to be my pants. Kevin James
The thing I’m most thankful for right now is elastic waistbands. Author Unknown
Gratitude is the sign of noble souls. Aesop
May your stuffing be tasty, may your turkey plump, may your potatoes and gravy have nary a lump. May your yams be delicious and your pies take the prize. And may your Thanksgiving dinner stay off your thighs! Author Unknown
God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say “thank you?” William A. Ward
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, and confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow. Melody Beattie
I love Thanksgiving turkey. It’s the only time in Los Angeles that you see natural breasts. Arnold Schwarzenegger
Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year. And then discover once a year is way too often. Johnny Carson
Got no checkbooks, got no banks. Still I’d like to express my thanks – I got the sun in the morning and the moon at night. Irving Berlin
If you count all your assets, you always show a profit. Robert Quillen
Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving. W.T. Purkiser
Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others. Cicero
So, think about it. What does Thanksgiving mean to you?
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
