THE MORAL OF THE STORY:Let Thanksgiving start with a ‘thankful’ list

“Let us observe this day with reverence and with prayer that will rekindle in us the will and show us the way not only to preserve our blessings, but also to extend them to the four corners of the earth.”— John F. Kennedy

Thanksgiving Proclamation,

1961

Perhaps you have a long list of errands to run and many different things you want to accomplish before the day is over. Most likely daylight will run out long before your to-do list does. Thursday is Thanksgiving, and most likely it will be a day filled with more cooking, cleaning, driving and eating than usual. Hopefully you will also have a long list of things you are thankful for, and you will share some of those things with someone before the day is over. The wonderful thing about making a list of what we have to be thankful for is that often the more we write down, the more things come to mind. There is a positive snowballing effect, and what could be better than an avalanche of thankfulness?

Several people commented that they especially enjoyed my column about my recent brief experience with jury duty and my realization of how thankful we all should be for the many freedoms we enjoy by living in America. I received an e-mail that reminded me about the greatness of our country. The e-mail referred to an interview of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who, when asked by a member of Parliament why he believes so much in America, is said to have answered, “A simple way to take measure of a country is to look at how many want in … and how many want out.”

Living in this country is one of the many things we should be thankful for, and we can accentuate our thanks by praying for the members of our military and for their families.

If you took pen to paper and listed all you are thankful for, what would be on it? I read an e-mail in which the writer challenged readers to think of what we would thank God for if he came in bodily form to see us. The writer suggested we make a list of 50 things we are thankful for and said that we can’t list 50 different people. In fact, the writer explained that we are to list friends and family as just one item. The e-mail writer also said that the first 25 things on the list would probably come fairly quickly, and encouraged us to do those right away, and then add some to the list every day until Thanksgiving. Doing so will keep us in a thankful mood.

This is the perfect time to begin a list and add to it every day. May your Thanksgiving be a day filled with great meals, and may the day overflow with prayerful and thankful hearts.

And you can quote me on that.