For anyone who celebrates Thanksgiving, most have much to be thankful for and all have something to be thankful for. A person who might appear to be most blessed may not feel that they are and someone who seem to have much less to be thankful for may be the most grateful of all. That is the mystery of gratitude.

The context of the first celebration of Thanksgiving has changed since 90 Native Americans and 53 Pilgrims celebrated their first harvest in 1621 with a feast that lasted three days. But the primary theme of thankfulness and gratitude has been celebrated in the United States ever since.

Thanksgiving provides more than the chance to celebrate with family and friends. I believe Thanksgiving offers hope.

The first hope of Thanksgiving is thankful living. The spirit of thankfulness should not confined to a holiday or  an occasion, but a perpetual way to going through life. The adage is true: gratefulness creates a great fullness of heart. When we wake up each morning we have that new opportunity of life to be grateful for.

The second hope of Thanksgiving is a life of giving. Whomever is blessed can be a blessing to others. Thanksgiving reminds us to give and provide to others who don’t have as much to be thankful for. Philanthropy and charity should be an essential Thanksgiving theme.

The third hope of Thanksgiving is awareness. We can all  be more consciously thankful for our blessings and not take them for granted. It is easy to miss what you’ve got if you are continually striving for what you want. Counting blesses enables us to enjoy them more deeply.

Those are my hopes for Thanksgiving.

I wish you and your’s a blessed and happy Thanksgiving.