Thanksgiving is here. I feel bad for Thanksgiving because it slowly but surely being nudged and squeezed out of the holiday traditions. The end of October, it is all about Halloween. People dress up and put orange lights out in their yards with pumpkin’s everywhere, drinking the most God awful pumpkin spice concoction being put in everything. Around the middle of November, Christmas starts coming around, pushing and shoving its its way into our lives. Everywhere you turn you see Santa who is slowing venturing into clown territory with me. Christmas music driving us all crazy. If I hear Little Drummer Boy, I Want A Hippopotamus for Christmas or the worst Christmas song of all time Christmas Shoes, I swear I’ll snap. Meanwhile there is poor old Thanksgiving minding its own business saying nothing. All the while people trying to lesson Thanksgiving even more by having just a “Friendsgiving.” Seriously? The PC crowd also is all over Thanksgiving. To me Thanksgiving is more than the buzzkill forces of the politically correct who has hijacked the holiday honoring settlers who bonded with Native Americans for survival. Now it is turkey, jellied cranberry sauce…….God help us, black Friday sales and football.

I personally love Thanksgiving, even more than Christmas. To me, Thanksgiving is a time of reflection. This past year has been a year of change for me. The reality of life reared its ugly head and smacked me in the face. Through all that even though there has been some complaining there never has been a “woe is me” complaints. As one of my favorite artist, Andrae’ Crouch wrote so many years ago

I’ve had many tears and sorrows,
I’ve had questions for tomorrow,
there’s been times I didn’t know right from wrong.
But in every situation,
God gave me blessed consolation,
that my trials come to only make me strong.

Through it all,
through it all,
I’ve learned to trust in Jesus,
I’ve learned to trust in God.

I have learned that as I get older storm clouds will come. That is a given. Comes early for some, later for others but make no mistake they will come. Be thankful for what you have, from the little monster, called Arlo to my wonderful wife, called Rebecca who I never tell her enough how thankful I am she is in my life.

Be thankful for family and friends and pray that none of your real feelings slip out at Thanksgiving dinner. I hear this could be a very volatile year around the dinner table with the political climate as it is. Just a PSA. As the great songwriter and artist Paul Thorn so exquisitely wrote and sang, “I Don’t Like Half The Folks I Love” it can ring so true but give thanks anyway.

Be thankful for the job that may piss you off every now and then but seriously do thank God daily that you have it and are fortunate to share it with two friends.

Be thankful you live in a country where you are free to worship, whatever you want to worship. Whether you pray to the Heavenly Father, the Creator, or whatever male, female or transgender individual to which one prays and if you are atheist you can be thankful you don’t have to worship anything. We live in a country where despite all the the problems, we are free to worship to whatever and not get arrested.

So be thankful in all things and hopefully you won’t regret your eating decisions this Thanksgiving as much as the Native Americans regretted theirs.