THANKFUL THANKSGIVING THURSDAY

Today, being Thanksgiving Day, is a day we should be especially mindful of what we're thankful for. Being thankful helps me to focus on all the good things in my life instead of attending to the things that, I think, may not be going so well at this moment. I recently read an apropos quote from Helen Keller, I believe. The gist of her statement was that if we're going to compare our lives to others, we should not compare to those few who seem to have everything but to the masses who have less. In doing so, we will be more satisfied with what we do have and less focused on what we do not have. I have always found that I fall short in side-by-side comparisons. However, when I'm Thinking Thankful and comparing myself to the masses (not the millionaire next door), I feel as though I'm on top of the world. Taking Ms. Keller's advice, here are just a few of the things that I'm thankful for this cold Thanksgiving Day:

[1] I'm thankful for all the young men and women of our armed forces. Because of their selfless career/life choices, they are spending their Thanksgiving in tents halfway around the world, that I may spend mine with my family enjoying the freedoms they work so hard to protect.

[2] I'm thankful to have a home... a [solid] roof over my head and 4 [insulated] walls to keep the wind and cold at bay. Sure, it'd be great if my heat worked... Still, I am beyond thankful to be inside this house with sweaters and blankets to keep me and my family warm rather than be outside where it is infinitely colder, lying in a box on the sidewalk with no protection from the elements or in a shelter with no privacy or personal belongings.

[3] I'm thankful for my husband's job... that it pays him well enough to put food aplenty on our table at every meal, every day of the year. God knows there are others who will eat nothing today. I'm glad to be able to give a few cans of vegetables or a couple of bags of stuffing to help those less fortunate... I wish I could, and hope to, do more for those with less.

[4] I'm thankful for a caring and loving family. I love that I have a good relationship with my parents and all my siblings. We are fortunate to be so close. And, I'm thankful that this closeness extends all the way out to my 3rd and soon to be 4th cousins. Truly, we are so blessed.

[5] I'm thankful for the opportunities that God presents to me each day -- to laugh, to love, to learn, to believe, to live life to the fullest -- no matter what the outcome. And, I'm thankful that He gave me a "calculated risk" personality to enjoy all these things without destroying my faith, myself, my family, or our livelihood.

[6] I'm thankful for today. Just the way it is, just the way I am. I am here... Thank God!