Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Happy Thanksgiving… and Remember To Count Your Blessings (a Blessing In And Of Itself)

Tomorrow morning I will drive from St. Pete Beach, Florida to Lizella, Georgia to enjoy four glorious days with my family. Just having everyone under the same roof at the same time will alone be a blessing for which I will be thankful. Among my individual exciting opportunities, will be catching up and reconnecting with my three adult children and their significant others, and playing with and spoiling my three grandchildren (and seeing and savoring the past and present Thanksgivings with their grandmother).

I try to be a giver and not a taker. I try to remain grateful for what I have and for the many wonderful experiences life affords me. Not only do I wish all of you the many joys the Thanksgiving Holiday can provide for you, but remind you to pause and be thankful for them.

In my recently published book, Mom and Dad’s Pearls of Wisdom… You Gotta Love ’Em (amazon.com), I share 50 vignettes (short stories) from experiences with my (and others’) parents and conclude each one with a memorable pearl of wisdom they espoused. Every year at this time, I remember when I was younger telling my maternal grandmother that I felt thankful for what I had. Almost immediately, she would spin out a saying in German (a language which I unfortunately do not speak). And when I would ask her what she said, she would say, “Counting your blessings is a blessing in and of itself.”

Happy Thanksgiving… (and remember to count your blessings), Bill

2 comments:

Unknown said...

What a nice sentiment for the holiday. Enjoy the time with them all.

Dr. Bill Emener said...

Thanks Kip,
Your Comment speaks volumes (e.g., I'd bet you're a blessings-counter yourself).
With all best wishes to you and your family for a Happy Thanksgiving as well,
Bill