Thanksgiving = Give Thanks

I love this time of year. Thanksgiving is here, and Christmas and New Year's are just around the corner. Holiday lights are up, the temperature is getting colder (well, that isn't much fun!), and snow starts to flurry. People are abuzz with shopping lists and pre-holiday tasks. Parking lots are packed and people seem a little cheerier. It's a magical time of year!

But of course, nothing would be magical if I didn't have family and friends to celebrate with. Thanksgiving is supposed to be a time of giving thanks for who and what we have in our lives.

I plan to take some time over the next few days and focus on the people and things that I am thankful for in my life. I recently heard someone say that we should be happy with what we have instead of focusing on what we don't have. That resonated deeply with me because it's so easy to get caught up with what we don't have and what we want. Television commercials, magazine ads, billboards, and movies all remind us of what we don't have but could have.

When we sit down to make our holiday "wish" lists, maybe we could also make a "thanks" list. What are we thankful for? Who could we give thanks to? It always feels better to give than to receive (although receiving feels wonderful, too). If you try this and find you have difficulty listing things you are thankful for, watch the documentary titled "God Grew Tired of Us". It's the story of the Lost Boys of Sudan who trekked over 1,000 miles to reach safety at a refugee camp in Kenya while their country was torn apart by civil war. Many have been placed in the United States, where things like electricity, indoor plumbing, refrigerated food, and beds were a new experience for them. These are things I take for granted every single day. This documentary was a reminder of how much I do take for granted, so this year I'd like to spend time being thankful for what I have instead of thinking about the things I don't have.

Have a safe, happy, and thankful Thanksgiving everyone!