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It’s Thanksgiving week. Time to let out the pants and have another slice of pumpkin pie – or two. It’s time to be grateful for our bounty. Time for football. Time for family, friends, food, and drink.

But it is also the time where we begin to reflect on the year and plan for a better next year.

It’s time to ask “For what am I grateful?” So if you will indulge me a bit, I have a response or two. I am grateful –

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to drink morning coffee with friends

to go to the gym to work off that donut

to work on community projects that I truly enjoy

to still kiss my wife good morning and good night

to dabble

to muck about

to weed the garden

to putz

to chill

to kill time

to read

to chat

to challenge

to say thank you to everyone who cared for me during a long and difficult illness

to hear the rain splash under the tires of passing cars

to cuddle babies

to enjoy my wife’s sunrise photos

to nap in the hammock by the shore

to once again witness the change of seasons

to have creative friends

to accept kindness

to learn something new every day

to have ability to help another

to hear the laughter of children

to attempt to make the world a little better

to experience the wonders of nature

to understand that I failed often and publicly in spectacular fashion

to accept the new day

to mourn loss

to celebrate the joys of others

to have more questions than answers

to be aware of every crack and flaw

to pay attention to what’s really important – others

to those who make me laugh and think and feel

to unexpected surprises and happy accidents

to be sappy and not care

to a guitar that stays in tune and fingers that still move

to feel the warm sun

to wrap myself in the comfort of night

to have survived cancer and for the goodness of science and prayer and love

to be grateful for the opportunity to try again

It’s easy to list the things for which we are grateful, but how do we practice it? How can we put it into practice? Try this. Write a text or email or a handwritten note to someone and say something nice or give honest praise for a job done well, a kindness, or whatever.  A cousin who lives rather far away sends weekly texts with a silly image and a hug emoji or just a simple “Love you.” I treasure those little notes.

Or make a list at the end of the day of three things you are grateful for. Then ask how can you share that with someone. Because nothing is worth having unless you share it.  Putting your gratitude into practice has a genuine effect on people. And for that, I am thankful to all of you.

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