My Thanksgiving Thoughts and Wishes

I can’t believe that Thanksgiving Day is just around the corner already. I always look forward to it because it is my favorite holiday of the year. I do have a whole set of rituals that include preparing a traditional dinner while watching holiday movies and  football games and inaugurating the Christmas season by turning on the tree lights on Thanksgiving night.  But, the meaning behind the holiday is so very important to me.

“I am sending out a wish to all of you that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you share the true meaning of this holiday with one another in any and every way that you can.”Barbara Jacoby

Although I start and end each day with my own special prayers of gratitude, I love having a day to reflect on all that has happened during the previous year for which I am grateful. I love thinking about the very special new people who have entered my life and have already had a positive affect on my life and my work. I am so excited thinking about those who have been in my life for long periods of time and reflecting upon the interactions that we have had. I am so thankful for the opportunities that I have had to share time with my family and friends during the year, even if it was only with phone calls. And I am so excited about all of the wonderful things and events that are on the horizon for the coming year and grateful for the opportunities that they will bring.

The big difference, however, in having this special day is that I always make time to think about all of the other things that we may just take for granted on a day to day basis. Most important is my wonderful husband who makes my life complete. I am so grateful for the home that we make together. I am so thankful for our work that allows for us to have the food on our table and the ability to have a comfortable place to live.  And on top of all of that, I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate the ability to have what we need in order to create the projects that we want in order to make a difference in the lives of others.

So when I sit down to the most awesome meal of the year on Thursday, I will be saying my personal thanks for each and every person who has touched my life and my heart during the past year. I will be saying extra prayers for every person who is suffering with the request that whatever is causing the pain in their lives be removed. For those who need work, I am asking that the perfect lead and all the necessary resources that they need be brought to them. I am asking that we all find it in our hearts to be just a little bit kinder to one another. I am requesting that we all be more tolerant of those around us and allow each other to make the choices and live the lives that we choose for ourselves. And most of all, I will pray that we all learn how to truly love one another.

I am sending out a wish to all of you that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you share the true meaning of this holiday with one another in any and every way that you can. And I am wishing that when Thanksgiving Day comes around again next year, your life will be filled with all of the peace and love and joy that you could have ever wanted.