What are YOU thankful for this Thanksgiving? We shared the blessings we all have and gave thanks – with each other – Thursday, November 15 from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. PT/9:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET – the week before Thanksgiving. Don’t you know that GRATITUDE is the single biggest ingredient to happiness? The homework for this #DadChat was to read Thanksgiving Gratitude for the Whole Family.
How many people use Thanksgiving to reflect on their lives, to express gratitude for their blessings, and to reflect on those less fortunate? As a parent, this is one of those fabulous teaching moments for kids. Of course, prepare the great meal and invite friends and family, but perhaps there is greater good to be had? (Note: Enjoy last years Thanksgiving column, too)
I love Thanksgiving. It has everything a great holiday should have. Food food and more FOOD! Thanksgiving, of course, gives us all the opportunity to gather with friends and family to actually reflect on the bounty of our lives. Gratitude is truly one of the most important ingredients for happiness and Thanksgiving offers just the forum to express those feelings.
Occasionally I enjoy doing list columns and my mind has been a bit more focused on doing lists ever since I became a contributing writer at 12Most.com. So, herewith is my list of ten things to be thankful for on Thanksgiving. Please add any that you believe belong in the comments section below!
Radio Show – Thanksgiving Special
First air date: Thursday, November 25, 2010
Featured guests:
Pastor Drew Sams (Calvary Church, Westlake Village, CA) for “Teen Rap”
The column referenced is, “What Does Thanksgiving Mean to You?” and the discussion is about Thanksgiving, with quotes from readers, the Bible, famous and less famous people.
Update: The deadline has passed. Please do not send in your thanks any more and “thanks” to those that did.
I will be writing a special Thanksgiving column, to be publishing Thanksgiving week and I will be pre-recording a special “A Dad’s Point-of-View” Radio Show, with Pastor Drew Sams this coming Thursday, November 11. I want to include as many of YOUR “thanks” as I receive so send me your thanksgiving thanks soon.
PLEASE send me an e-mail with a short description of what you are thankful for whether you live in the United States or not, whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not.
Listen Now
While walking with a friend the day after Thanksgiving, we shared our respective holiday experiences and noted that we were both now the senior dads–the main paternal figure in our respective families. We laughed together, but it was a moment of melancholy and reflection, both of which were feelings I had this Thanksgiving.
My father died four years ago and my mother died just a year ago, so this was our first Thanksgiving in which neither of my parents was with us. Yes, the aging of my parents effectively made me the “man in charge” for many of their later years, but I still viewed them as the senior generation and offered them the respect and deference that they continued to deserve during those difficult years. But now, other than an older 3rd cousin that I adore, it’s now me representing that older figure in our small family.
