The day is almost upon us.
For a majority of the world, it's just another day.
A day in which they will have no cranberry sauce or stuffed turkey.
One in which they will not gather to share giblet gravy or hot rolls.
We, who have been blessed with the bounty of heaven, have to be thankful. We have to be.
Because to be ignorant consumers of all that is good in our lives is to be most ungrateful indeed.
Those who are poor are not all derelict. Those who suffer don't always bring it upon themselves. And those who hunger are not always fed by the kindness of strangers.
We take much for granted.
Take this forum. I can post virtually anything I want here - it's my space.
From the daily comedy and tragedy that is my life, I get to choose how to share it.
Somewhere, there is someone else with great thoughts, profound insight and no way to share a word about the struggle that makes their own story worth living.
I am richly blessed by being born into a family of faith in Jesus Christ. Not just a token attendance to the words, but a vibrant, living fountain of pure water that flows in and through them and refreshes me when I languish.
Between my parents and siblings, I am surrounded by people who persevere and just keep putting one foot in front of the other despite their personal challenges.
My life is enriched by the amazing gift of my husband of nearly 25 years. Though each of us has changed since we exchanged rings and pledged our hearts, our lives and our love to one another, there is no greater blessing than having an unconditional heart beating in my husband who makes up for my multitudinous shortcomings by his generosity of spirit in my behalf.
Through our union of choice and desire, we have two amazing sons that brighten my life each and every day. They are brilliant and gifted, funny and kind. They brought a tenderness of spirit with them when they entered mortality and the joy that accompanied each arrival has never dimmed with the passing of the years.
Though no longer babies, they will always be our babies and deserving of our care and love just because they are themselves. They are a blessing that goes on into the next generation beyond my own.
I have a roof over my head, a closet and dresser filled with clothes that fit according to my level and diligence at attempting to get more active and in shape, a car to drive me anywhere I want to go in all of the connected parts of North and South America, and the safety and security of living in a land where others volunteer to protect me while I sleep.
We are blessed to have food to eat and an abundance of the good things of life.
And I am personally blessed by the friends I hold in my heart as examples of goodness, generosity and kindness in action. That they tolerate my presence at all is an amazing gift in and of itself.
Today, I have a special blessing to be thankful for - I was able to go to the temple, the very House of the Lord, and just soak in the quiet and peaceful setting. To separate myself from the world's demands and feel the living presence of God. And I am thankful that I could feel the influence of the Holy Spirit washing over me and filling the empty places with a love and joy that defies complete description.
I am richly blessed.
And I am thankful to a loving Heavenly Father who has granted me so much.
My job now is to find a way to use the blessings poured on me to share what I have with those who lack. No judgement about circumstance. Just sharing.
Happy Thanksgiving. I want it to be thanksgiving every day. In my heart I feel it. I want to learn how to act it in everything I do.
