Thanksgiving

For most major holidays, one wishes every day of the year could be like the holiday. Kids wish each day could be like Christmas so they can get more presents. Parents wish each day could be like Valentine's day (so long as a babysitter was involved). Partygoers might wish everyday was like New Years Eve, when the parties seem to go on. Pyromaniacs might wish everyday was the 4th of July so they had an excuse to blow something up. My wife wishes each day was like Halloween so she could watch horror movies on the TV all the time.

As for me, I wish there were more days on the calendar like Thanksgiving. I don't pick this holiday because I'm a gluten (though I do enjoy cooking and eating food on Thanksgiving day). I don't pick Thanksgiving for the hours of football games (heck, we get that each Sunday, and then, I can choose to watch a team OTHER than the Lions). I don't pick this holiday for the parades on TV, though I do enjoy watching it while preparing for the big meal. No, what I enjoy about Thanksgiving is its a day for "giving thanks" for what we have and for others, and for the most part, myself, my family, and my friends do take the time to reflect on what we are truly thankful for.

Since my wife and I were married 10 years ago, we have Thanksgiving with her parents. In the past few years we've had dinner at either our house or theirs, but either way, we also start dinner with each of us stating what we are thankful for this year. At first, this was odd for me to publicly admit what I'm thankful for (to my in-laws no less), but I've grown to enjoy the tradition as it forces me to think, if only for a few moments, what I'm truly thankful for this year.

This year, I'm thankful for my family, whom I love and who loves me. I'm also thankful to have a great job and a rewarding career, a career where knowledge and effort are rewarded. I'm thankful that I live in a country that allows me to post my opinions online. And finally, I'm thankful that I live at a time where we all have endless possibilities ahead of us and at a time where the art of making wine is revered and rewarded.

So while you're enjoying your meal, watching the game, or simply sipping a glass of wine on this national holiday, take a moment and think about what you are truly thankful for.