What exactly is Thanksgiving? Historians tell us one of the first Thanksgiving feasts was held on December 4th, 1619 in the newly-established Virginia Colony as a celebration of the freshly reaped harvest. The average person today will tell you it is a day when Americans gather around the table for oven-roasted turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and the traditional trimmings followed by long bouts of watching American football. The first idea, albeit functional, and the second idea, modernized toward the standard pomp and circumstance of a modern-day commercialized holiday in my own eyes fail to capture the meaning of Thanksgiving.

Again, I ask; What is Thanksgiving? It is not a day, nor a meal, nor a celebration or a reason to rush to the shopping malls across America. Thanksgiving is a spiritual place inside us all, a place we sometimes seldom visit, and a place we should find ourselves each day.

When we are given something in this crazy world, we not only should be thankful for it, however; we also should share what we have with those who need our help. Only then will we see the true meaning of Thanksgiving. Only then, in the reflected eyes of the ones we share our lives with, the ones we do a kindness for who could not have enjoyed something they need without our help, and those who we call friends. When in their eyes we see their thankfulness for our presence, our friendship, our kindness and love, we too should be thankful to our creator for the gifts he graces our lives and the lives of others through our acts of kindness.

So today, in this time of Thanksgiving, commit yourselves to looking at those you love, those who are your friends and family, and those with whom you have something to share in kindness and give thanks. Give thanks for their presence in your life, for the times you share, for the kindnesses you are capable of doing and for all who do a kind deed for you.

God is watching. Open the eyes of your heart and see the world around you. Know you can change someone’s life today, tomorrow, and beyond. Change their lives with love, with kindness, with compassion and most of all, with Thanksgiving in your heart that You were able to be the one to share what you have with those in need. God knows this is a dark, dreary world, however; God also knows he placed the capability to change that fact within the hands and hearts of all who read this by sharing what we have in life, one kind deed, one hug, one hello, one kind act at a time.

Don’t just sit back, eat turkey and watch football this Thanksgiving, be the reason someone can be thankful instead. Share your Thanksgiving with those you love and encourage them to share theirs. And on Friday, when the china is back in the china cabinet, do not put away, alongside that china, your thankfulness. Remember, there are 364.25 days each year to be thankful for in addition to Thanksgiving day.

“If one could only learn to appreciate the little things…
A song that takes you away, for there are those who cannot hear.
The beauty of a sunset, for there are those who cannot see.
The warmth and safety of your home, for there are those who are homeless.
Time spent with good friends for there are those who are lonely.
A walk along the beach for there are those who cannot walk.
The little things are what life is all about.
Search your soul and learn to appreciate.” – Shadi Souferian

Have a happy, wonderful, memorable Thanksgiving that lasts all year long. Remember, you hold the power to change this world, one life at a time. Be thankful, be happy, and be kind to all and for all you meet. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “You cannot do a kindness too soon because you never know how soon it will be too late.“

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