Gratitude and Thanksgiving

At various times in my life I have been prone to complain. I am getting better, I think. Sometime back my uncle and mentor impressed on me the importance of being grateful. Now I am constantly reminded to be grateful even when I am exasperated. I have also recently seen the value of the hard times I have had in my life and am now grateful for those.

Some of you might think, “Yeah, it’s easy for you to be grateful.” Well, you may be correct, but it’s a funny thing about life, no matter where you are, you have the same base human tendencies that you have to constantly hold in check and one of those is ingratitude. Plus, I truly wish now, looking back at harder times in my life, that I had been more grateful then.

So, I hope you don’t mind but I want to express my gratitude.

I am thankful:

For forgiveness
For my family, immediate and extended, living and departed.
For a country that is built on meaningful ideals.
For a community that wants to improve and excel.
That I can add value to others’ lives.
For people who volunteer, giving more than they have to.
For people who have invested in me, even when I seemed a risky investment.
That I have been blessed with the conviction to be grateful.

I wish for each of you a beautiful Thanksgiving filled with . . . well . . . thanks.


"This is the true joy in life...being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one...being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy...I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can."
--George Bernard Shaw