There is an online survey that identifies Thanksgiving as the fifth most popular holiday in Canada. Thanksgiving is above Victoria Day but behind Halloween, which is actually an occasion, not a holiday.
Although the idea of Thanksgiving is about as sound of a concept for a holiday as you can get, I don't think it has been given the consideration it really deserves.
Getting together with friends and family to celebrate the harvest is a welcome and obvious holiday that I am sure we all cherish.
Some of my fondest fall memories have been Thanksgiving related.
Pre-dinner football on my grandparents' lawn, the great turkey meltdown of 1972 when grandpa overcooked the bird by a couple of hours and it collapsed in a heap when he tried to carve it and, of course, the fairly recent revelation that no one in the extended family actually likes Brussels sprouts.
The dinners were always and are still lively and animated events that are a whole bunch of fun.
This year, I am going to pay tribute to, and be thankful for, the circumstances that allow me and my friends and family to enjoy this weekend.
I think it is time we took a page out of the Remembrance Day holiday and observe a minute of silence in our own personal way to reflect upon our good fortune beyond a plate of turkey with all the trimmings.
Take the time staring at yourself in the mirror, walking the dog or whatever. Just take the minute to look around your house or up the block. Look at kids playing in the park.
Take any bitterness out of your mind for just this moment and spare your issue angst to really appreciate your life as a Canadian. Take a second to be proud and thankful that you have been taken care of and governed appropriately for all of your life.
Be hopeful for the future for you and your family and recognize that you may not always get your way but in the end you will have more to be thankful for than most in this world.
Empathize with younger people who feel despair and who are fraught with angst and a sense of hopelessness. They are telling us something in their riots and protests and we need to listen.
Help them grow and adapt without being condescending. Ask them to take a moment, too, to appreciate what they have so they can compare to what they think they need. They will figure it out. They always do.
After your thankful minute congratulate yourself for giving yourself some "me" time, and remember your moment the next time you feel your blood pressure rising when you can't find a parking spot or you hit two red lights in a row.
This weekend, when you have the opportunity, hug your friends and family with just that little bit extra. You and them will feel much better for it.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
