On this Thanksgiving day, I'd like to quote from Fr. Brian Joyce when he spoke on Thanksgiving in 2003:

"And the last thing that Thanksgiving helps us to do is simply to give thanks. Here is a reminder of giving thanks for the simple everyday things that we don’t notice:
  • I am thankful for the mess to clean up after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends.
  • I am thankful for the taxes I have to pay because it means I have a job and I am employed.
  • I am thankful for the clothes that fit a little too snug because it means I have had enough to eat.
  • I am thankful for the lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home.
  • I am thankful for all the complaining I do about the government because it means we have freedom of speech.
  • I am thankful for the parking spot I find at the far end of the lot because it means I am capable of walking.
  • I am thankful for my big heating bill because it means I am warm.
  • (I love this one. Don’t look around. Don’t turn. Just listen.) I am thankful for the lady behind me in Church who sings off-key because it means I can hear.
  • I am thankful for the piles of laundry and ironing because it means my loved ones are nearby.
  • I am thankful for weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day because it means I have been productive.
  • And finally, I am thankful for the alarm that goes off early in the morning because it means that I am still alive.

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