A week for Thanks

Call me sentimental and trite.  Skip over this one if you choose, however I think this year is as good a time as any to pause and give thanks for the blessings I have, the freedoms I enjoy and the ability I have to make a difference in the lives of others. 

I am blessed with a wonderful family both at home and at work.  I am thankful that I can truly say I work with people that I can call family.  It is a wonderful way to come to work every morning, to work hard every day and to look back on every evening.  I wish some of my friends who are unhappy in their jobs could experience what I get to experience every day.  I am blessed with good health.  In the last year I have lost a significant amount of weight and maintained a healthy lifestyle to keep the weight off.  Three years ago this week I spent 12 days in the hospital waiting to have surgery.  I am glad that this year I don't have to drink only juice and water on Thanksgiving but rather get to enjoy my wife's wonderful meal. 

I am thankful to live in a country where I have the freedom to speak, vote, pray and live any way I choose without fear of persecution or retribution.  I have friends all over the world and while there are many wonderful places to visit I cannot imagine living anywhere else.  Even though we are divided on many issues in this country I believe that through adversity we have and will continue to become stronger.  I am grateful for those who have given their lives for the freedoms I enjoy and do not take for granted not minimize the sacrifices of those who have given more than I ever could to enjoy more than I will ever deserve. 

I am grateful for the small impact I can make every day in a few lives that I come across.  I do not see myself as anything bigger than I am but I do enjoy the opportunity to lead and teach others and hope I can add value to each situation and personal encounter I am involved in by giving a little of myself.  The more I give of myself the more enjoyment I continue to gain out of life.  I don't say this with pride or self-promotion but rather as one who took too long to learn this lesson and wishes I would have gotten to this point in my life much sooner. 

So on this week of Thanksgiving, like most of you I am sure, I am extremely grateful for all of the things I take for granted throughout the year.  I am resolved to not just pause to give thanks this week but to strive to have an attitude of gratitude that guides me throughout the year.  If we would all embrace that mindset I suspect that we would have no choice but to turn every week in to Thanksgiving week.  Because if for no other reason one week would not be enough time to give thanks for the abundance we have to enjoy.