Thursday, November 25, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving

Writing a serious post about Thanksgiving is difficult. I have been so blessed in my life that there is no way I could ever be thankful enough. If I were to give a speech about my life reminiscent of an awards show acceptance speech I would be giving thanks long after they started playing the music and cut to commercial.

To borrow something I heard in church recently I was blessed by simply being born in this country. So for starters I would have to climb up a few branches on my family tree and thank some people for making the voyage to America. The day they made that decision blessed me and my family forever. Something as simple as my place of birth is truly a blessing.

Sometimes though life gets out of sorts. Instead of simply being thankful for something like that we all want more. We need better toys, a bigger house, or a newer car. We need designer clothes and expensive furniture. I guess that is fine, but sometimes in a world where so many people go without it seems out of balance.

This Thanksgiving I want to take time to remember the simple things. Hopefully the act of thanking God for the things that really matter will help spur me towards a life where I can readjust my mindset. Hopefully I can learn to focus on the important stuff in my life.

I am going to be thankful I have a house rather than wishing it was bigger. I am going to be thankful for this country rather than complaining about its politics. I am going to be thankful for my job rather than complaining about the work. I am going to be thankful for the time I have rather than complaining about the lack thereof. I am going to be thankful that I have more than one place to go for Thanksgiving rather than bemoaning the choices we have to make.

If I came home today to find nothing left but Arica and Braden I would still consider myself lucky. A man with a family like mine is truly blessed no matter what. That is what I have always liked so much about Thanksgiving. It is about food and family rather than gifts and decorations.

It is our one day as Americans to put an emphasis on a family meal time celebration. For one Thursday in November our priorities appear more Italian than American. We get to gather around a table with family and share stories, a few laughs, a 15 pound turkey, and most importantly love. I hope everyone has  a great holiday weekend spending time with the people they truly love.

Happy Thanksgiving!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very nice. I for one need to do the same and be thankful for what I have. I get too easily wrapped up in what's wrong with what I have or what I'd rather have. I hope you and your family had a great Thankgiving.

WeaselMomma said...

You hit the nail on the head.

Sarah Fader said...

Happy Thanksgiving and well said, but do you mean "one Thursday in November?" Otherwise if it were in October it would be Canadian Thanksgiving. LOL!

It's true, we are always wishing for more instead of appreciating what we DO have.

These were such sweet thoughtful words. Arica and Braden are lucky to have you!

Otter Thomas said...

Thanks OSNS Mom. Apparently sleep deprivation is wreaking havoc on what little brain I have left.

Brandy@YDK said...

Great post! Happy thanksgiving