On Thursday, nearly every family across the country will sit down to a meal that took dozens of hours, if not days, to prepare, while sharing traditions and making memories with loved ones. Thursday, of course, is Thanksgiving – one day out of the year we’re all supposed to stop, take note of the wonderful things in our lives and be thankful for all that we have.
Many of us will spend the time stuffing ourselves with traditional meals, watching football on television and enjoying a four-day weekend. Many of us view Thanksgiving as a religious holiday, a time to give thanks to God. Many see it as a start to the holiday shopping season.
Thanksgiving can be all of those things and more – so long as we remember exactly what it is we’re supposed to be thankful for. It’s not necessarily the football game, or the items you spend countless hours in line to by on Black Friday – more often than not, it’s the people you’re watching the game with or buying the gifts for.
And it’s good, too, to be thankful for many of the people who will be working during this holiday weekend. There will be troops on duty in Afghanistan and Iraq and a hundred other places around the globe, defending America’s interests. Give thanks for their willingness to serve.
And give thanks for the public safety personnel pulling shifts here and around the country to make sure you and your family are safe should something go wrong – men and women who staff everything from emergency rooms and ambulances to police cars and dispatch offices.
Thanksgiving is a time for honoring all the good things in your life, so above all, just remember to have an attitude of gratitude. Happy Thanksgiving.