Thanksgiving...

So, why is it that we only "give thanks" one day out of the year? A grandmother goes around the table and asks each member of the family what they are thankful for. A preschool teacher acts as a scribe on a piece of chart paper as each child in her class tells one thing they are thankful for.

Why is it that there is only one day recognized as "Thanksgiving"? We all think back to the pilgrims and the Indians and when they made peace and sat down to eat a meal that had been prepared together, as brothers and sisters.

What if we looked at other events in our lives as crucially as we look at this day where two sides joined together? What if we all took a little time out of our days to be thankful for everything beautiful that we have been granted. For everything that has been graciously laid in our laps. For the challenges that we have been placed in front of to conquer and learn from. For the warmth of the sunshine and the coolness of the rain. For the smile on our lovers' face, or the comfort of a hug. For the lessons learned and the hard times endured. We need to say thank you.

Step outside our doors, take deep breaths and say thank you for the air in our lungs. Look at our friends and/or family around us and say thank you for their love flowing over us always. Stare into a stranger's eyes as you pass them by and say thank you for allowing such wonder in the world.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Words so often said, but not as often truly meant.

What if we always said thank you with truthfulness in our voice? If when someone holds the door for us, we say thank you and really mean "i truly am thankful for the fact that you had the courtesy to hold this door open for me". It seems silly, it seems trivial, like it is such a mundane occurrence-- "thank you".

But what if we always meant it when we said it? And we always said it when we meant it?

What if we took time in our busy days to sit down and think about all of the beautiful things we are thankful for?