What Does Thanksgiving Mean To You

Have you thought about what does Thanksgiving mean to you? I love Thanksgiving because it’s a holiday that transcends all religions, all cultures, and all ethnicities.  It’s about the basic notion of “giving thanks” and it’s really become a holiday that everyone loves.

First, there’s the food.  Second, there’s the food.  Did I mention the food?  How about the turkey? The yams? The stuffing?  And, my favorite: pumpkin pie. Ahhhh. Need I say more?

I believe that gratitude is the major ingredient to happiness, and I learned this from Dennis Prager, the talk-show host, columnist, and author.  So, on this Thanksgiving, I’m going to share with you just a few of the many things that I’m grateful for, and some that I’ve solicited from my readers, Facebook and Twitter friends, and Radio Show listeners.  Finally, I will share quotes from those famous and not so famous, that I found on the Internet.
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Just A Guy and His Overwhelmed Wife

I have an overwhelmed wife. And, I suspect I’m the first guy who has heard from his overwhelmed wife how busy she is, how much she does, how tired she is, how under-appreciated she is, and how I do nothing.  Well, it’s true.  I actually do nothing.

I don’t take care of the boys, pay for our lives, walk our three dogs, pay the bills, clean up after myself and others in the kitchen, occasionally cook, often BBQ, do the CostCo runs, put gas in my wife’s car, tell her how much I love her, and how amazing her cooking is.  Nah, I do none of that stuff. read more

Just A Guy Who Is Very Grateful

(Note: I consider this an early Thanksgiving-themed blog – enjoy)

I attended the Bar Mitzvah of a friend’s son recently.  This young man has some relatively severe learning disabilities.  Yet, his parents provided him with the sort of support that was full of love and understanding for him.  The rabbi adjusted the service to allow him full participation, within his limits, and it was as loving a right-of-passage as possible, with an equally classy and terrific party afterward.

Even the weather cooperated, as their theme was a rainbow and at just the right moment, with all of the guests gathered outside, the rabbi asked us to turn around. We saw the setting sun actually make e a slight rainbow, as if Industrial Light & Magic were hired to create it. read more

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

No, I’m not writing about the movie or its wonderful music. Instead, this column will contain lists of random things that I think fit those three categories. I was driving to Mammoth, a ski resort we frequent, alone and early in the morning and began reflecting on my life. I had a rough period recently and was feeling a bit blue. I know that that feeling is fleeting and I have much to be grateful for. In fact, I know that gratitude is the key to happiness.

So, I started making a mental list of the things that I have to be grateful for, but I couldn’t help but also think of some of the ca-ca (a good parenting word, don’t you think?) in my life and the world, as well. I’m going to try and stay focused on “The Good” though acknowledging and recognizing “The Bad, and the Ugly.” read more