It seems like only yesterday that we watched as the Halloween decorations were pulled from the shelves and replaced with the bright and joyful colors of Christmas. The rush to prepare for the next big shopping season appears to have skipped over Thanksgiving, a day when families travel from far and wide to be with their loved ones and celebrate the things they’re grateful for this year, and to be honest, it’s no surprise. Just last night, my wife and I had to make some last minute purchases for our dinner today and we witnessed a family setting up a tent on the sidewalk to prepare for the upcoming Black Friday sale.
Disheartening, is the word that comes to mind when I think that in lieu of spending time with family and loved ones one would choose to be first in line to get a sale on a new t.v. or home appliance. That being thankful for what we have isn’t enough. In fact, we aren’t thankful, we want MORE. Lot’s more. So much more that we are willing to sacrifice time with loved ones and step over people in the crowd of early Christmas shoppers to get it. We’re no longer fulfilled by the intangible things that are supposed to matter and instead have an insatiable hunger for the next shiny new thing.
But stop for a minute if you’re reading this and take 5 minutes to ask yourself. “What am I thankful for?”
For me, it’s having the ability to watch the sunrise every morning as I enjoy a cup of black coffee and a good pipe on my front porch. It’s knowing that just inside, my family is sleeping soundly and safe under my watchful protection. I’m grateful for the friends I have made this year, brothers that I never knew I would have. I’m grateful for my wife who’s one of the most selfless people on earth. And yes, I’m grateful to all of my readers who give me their time as I ramble on in these posts.
What comes as no surprise, is that the holidays can be rough for a lot of people. There are those that don’t have loved ones to visit, or maybe this is the first Thanksgiving without a loved one and the grief is becoming too much to bear. I recently lost a good friend of mine that affected me much more than I thought it would. Even now as I write this, my thoughts become somber as they drift to his family on a day that is meant to be joyous and full of life. I can only hope that they find comfort today in each other.
In closing, I am of the sincerest hopes that each of you have something that you are thankful for today and can make the opportunity to express such gratitude in some way. When our final hour draws near, it will not be the sales we caught, the games we watched, or the gifts we gave that come to mind. It will be the ones we love, the times we shared together, and the hearts that touched ours.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Jeff