Thanksgiving is this Thursday, which shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday. This holiday between Halloween and Christmas means time off from work, gorging yourself until you drift off into a tryptophan coma, football games and – I shudder to think about it – the official start of the mad rush that is the yuletide shopping season. Too often, however, we may forget to be thankful for what we have, instead focusing – probably because it’s so much easier to do – on what we don’t have or what’s going wrong. With that in mind, I present the following poem – given to me by a friend – that I think is appropriate for Thanksgiving:

I am thankful for…
The wife who says its hot dogs tonight, because she is home with me, not with someone else.

For the teenager who is complaining about doing dishes, because it means she is at home, not on the streets.

For the taxes that I pay, because it means that I am employed.

For the mess to clean after the party, because it means that I have been surrounded by friends.

For the clothes that fit a little too snug, because it means I have enough to eat.

For my shadow that watches me work, because it means I am out in the sunshine.

For a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing, because it means I have a home.

For all the complaining I hear about the government, because it means what we have freedom of speech.

For the parking lot spot I find at the far end of the parking lot, because it means I am capable of walking and that I have been blessed with transportation.

For my huge heating bill, because it means I am warm.

For the pile of laundry and ironing, because it means I have clothes to wear.
For weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day, because it means I have been capable of working hard.

For the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours, because it means that I am alive.

“My Two Cents” is a weekly column where the author gets his two cents worth in, despite the old saying that you only get a penny for your thoughts.