As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.
-- John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Thanksgiving Day this year falls on the earliest date possible. Let's face it, getting around to being thankful early is a very good thing. And not because there will be a few more days between Thanksgiving and Christmas to shop, decorate and drink eggnog.
No, an early Thanksgiving will allow us a bit more time to reflect, to review and to give honest and appropriate thanks for all that we have and all that we are.
Some people will always find reasons to be bitter and some will find reasons to see the worst in everything, but there are always very real reasons to be thankful and hopeful. There are always reasons to believe that tomorrow can be better than today, and that our best efforts just might make a difference in a positive way.
But before we can make tomorrow better, we have to acknowledge what we have and who we are. We have to honestly and humbly accept where we stand and acknowledge those who have helped us get where we are. That doesn't diminish our own efforts or our own responsibility.
If you can't find reasons to be thankful, you really aren't being honest with yourself.
Finding a way to be thankful each and every day will make us strong, more grounded and compassionate. But don't just think it. Show it. Be an example and live it.
