Today is one day in the year that we remind ourselves to give thanks for what we have. But we should not need reminding. Nor should it be for just one day.  We should be continually thankful for our health, our wealth, and our own safekeeping – every day.

We have it all!  We have immediate food and shelter.  We have drinkable water and breathable air.  We have a warm home with a bed to sleep in.  We never go hungry.  We have so many clothes we don’t know what to wear.   Refrigeration and modern medicine.  Continuous electricity.  Cable TV, email, smart phones.  The list of fortunes is endless…. truly endless in our lives.

These are luxuries we are privileged to have!  We must remind ourselves that most of the world lives without such abundance. We don’t give the first thought to things like our drinking water.  It’s always there, always safe, always a never-ending supply that’s virtually free.  That’s the way things are here, living the American Dream.  But elsewhere on Earth over 5 million people die each year from unsafe water.

So when this time of year comes around, we should take stock of what we have and who we are as members of the global community.  We have more than we are even conscious of – so much more than others in the world.

My wish is that we all realize it and take time out to help those less fortunate.   Do it now.  Do it today.  Even if you only do it one day out of the year, let that day be today.  Misery and suffering take no holidays.

Most of the world does not have a day called Thanksgiving.  But a kind gesture, a charitable act, or cash donation could make any day one of Thanks for a person or animal in need. That, I think, is what Thanksgiving is all about.

Happy Thanksgiving to You!