The more we get caught up in our busy lives, the more likely we are to lose sight of what’s really important in life. This holiday weekend, we should remember that Thanksgiving has far more meaning than turkey and all the trimmings, a day of shopping madness, or even an extra couple of days off work. It’s really the perfect opportunity to be thankful.

Each and every evening, as my wife and I sit down for dinner, we take a few silent moments to light a candle, hold hands, and think of something that day for which we are most grateful (other than each other). We’ve had this little ritual for a while now, though I can’t really remember why or when we started it.
But if we needed any reminder at all about why it’s important to do, one arrived along with our songwriter friends from Nashville who came to visit two weeks ago.

Helen shared how much of her life these days is consumed by caring for her 91-year-old mother.
Her husband, Rick, talked about the way his diagnosis of colon cancer seven years ago served as a wake-up call to re-imagine the way he was living his life. We learned that Bob, when he was a young boy, was the one to find that his mother had committed suicide. And Sam was here to perform for the first time since April when he was aggressively treated for a cancerous tumor in his throat.

We were reminded of other friends, one who lost her mother to bone cancer, another who was diagnosed with breast cancer as an adult after surviving a different form of cancer as a teenager. The challenges of life touch us all, at one time or another.

We were deeply moved by all of our friends’ unflagging optimism and good cheer in the face of adversity. Even though there are plenty of ways our lives could be easier and better, there was no shortage of things for which we expressed our gratitude on this Thanksgiving Day:

• The love of dear friends and neighbors who have become our new “family.”
• All those who have devoted their lives to service, be it the Peace Corps or armed forces.
• Parents whose departure from this life came suddenly, without suffering (albeit too soon).
• Having survived a near-death experience.
• No debilitating illnesses with which to cope.
• Gratifying work in a business that still allows us to pay the bills (property tax and all — but that’s another story).
• The spirit of volunteerism.
• A beautiful place to call “home.”

A teacher and mentor once told me that the key to living your life with gratitude was to remember the following: “Don’t sweat the small stuff,” and in the grand scheme of things, “It’s all small stuff.” Now, when I’m ready to complain about something petty, or wanting to wallow in self-pity, I just take a moment to find one small thing — anything — for which I can be grateful. Happy Thanksgiving!