Sometimes it bubbles up, sometimes it doesn't . . .

Hey - it's Thanksgiving!

We get to take a break from the stuff that divides us and say, "thank you" to the one that created us.

I'll never forget the story of someone very close to me (who shall remain anonymous):

He does not align himself with any particular spiritual ideas, and so I was fascinated with his story that he told me one night.  Traveling to a very remote corner of the globe on vacation, he was walking on a remote beach looking up at the stars.  The view arrested him and he had to pause for a minute and stare.  I remember him saying that the words just bubbled out of him.   "Thank you" was all he could say as he stared up at those bright multitudinous stars.

It was a lesson for me.

You don't have to be 'religious' to be grateful.  Not only does the science tell us that thankfulness is good for us (see the Harvard article here), but it is also a part of who we are.  Deep down we know that there is someone or something else out there to thank.  To have received so much in even being here to begin with we are stunted if we don't take a moment to whisper, "thank you."  Even if you don't know who you are thanking.  He hear's it just the same.

So who cares if you got people talking about politics at the dinner table . . .

They are here - and by here I mean alive.  And that is something for which we can be thankful.  Even if it takes a little effort.  No one said all of our thankfulness needs to bubble out of us.  Sometimes it takes effort but that builds character.

So make it happen.

We don't need to be in some exotic location to have something to be thankful for.  There are tons of reasons right in front of us.  Even the brother in law across the table from you who just flinged a small piece of stuffing out of his mouth in delivering his latest political gloat.

God love him.

And you can be thankful for him.