A Day To Give Thanks...

So on this day of thanks, in spite of the current economic situation which I am feeling firsthand, there are still many things that I am thankful for…

~I am thankful for the childhood my parents provided to me. Because of it, I am a well balanced, secure and stable person.

~I am thankful that I have the knowledge and strength to consider a career change which could drastically change my future.

~I am thankful for my very large and very expanded family and the close proximity we all live to one another. I can’t imagine how life would be without all the love that fills our homes every holiday season and all year long.

~I am thankful to have so many lifelong friends from as early as grammar school for which I know, are true friends who will always be there for me.

~I am thankful for my health because I am all too familiar with how quickly this can change in a person’s life.

As you feast on your turkey with all the trimmings today, remember to give thanks to all the people or things that enrich your life.

If you’re going through tough times and having difficulty finding anything to be thankful for, look around and find at least one simple pleasure that puts a smile on your face and give thanks for that one thing. My simple pleasure is my loving and loyal dog :).

Some fun random Thanksgiving Day facts….

*U.S. President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving Day a national holiday in 1863.

*In 1941 President Franklin Roosevelt established the current date for observance, the fourth Thursday of November.

*Approximately 46 million turkeys will end up on U.S. dinner tables this Thanksgiving.

*Minnesota is the United States's top turkey-producing state

*U.S. farmers will also produce 709 million pounds of cranberries

*The U.S. will also grow 1.8 billion pounds of sweet potatoes and produce 1.1 billion pounds of pumpkins.

*Since 1947 the National Turkey Federation has presented two live turkeys—and a ready-to-eat turkey—to the President, according to federation spokesperson Sherrie Rosenblatt. "There are two birds," Rosenblatt explained, "the presidential turkey and the vice presidential turkey, which is an alternate, in case the presidential turkey is unable to perform its duties." Those duties pretty much boil down to not biting the President during the photo opportunity with the press.

*Pilgrims were familiar with turkeys before they landed in the Americas.

Happy Thanksgiving!