Grateful for...

Thanksgiving Day is just a few days away. For our American cousins, it's a few weeks away. I think I like where our holiday lies, a nice break between Labour Day and Remembrance Day, with Christmas lurking just around the corner.

Among the many things with which we need to train our kid, besides the usual "Excuse me," and "Please, Mom," are a couple of standard phrases, namely, "Thank you," and "Sorry." I personally and sincerely believe that if our kids would get these two expressions ingrained into their soul, there would be less trouble in the classroom, the dinner table, and the workplace.

However, it's the adults (like you and me), I am concerned about today, adults that need a better attitude about gratitude.

As you cruise slowly up to this great holiday, are you actually really thankful for anything or just grateful for nothing? In this land of plenty-plus, we have so much to be appreciative for, but as sure as I am sitting here in my brave seat, we're probably whining about something. Or nothing.

Let me tell you a few things that I am grateful for (and you can register your "amen" or whatever word you choose to show affirmation or dissent):

I am thankful that in a week from today I have a free vote. It may or may not mean a lot, but at least I have the freedom to register a personal choice. Regardless of my political leanings here in Canada, I know I wouldn't have this same liberty in, say, Zimbabwe, Haiti, or North Korea.

I am thankful for a measure of religious tolerance that allows me to worship in a way I strongly believe in, without fear of harm or danger. I see those liberties eroding, but at least I don't live in the state of Orissa, India, where a group of zealots has repeatedly attacked defenceless citizens recently. There have been reports of burning, looting, raping, and killing, though you may not have heard of it. For the record, there is more grief going on in this world than lies in Afghanistan or Iraq. And maybe just not as much oil.

I am thankful that I can eat any food that I want, for one or two reasons. One, I live in a plentiful country with all sorts of choices, and two, I don't think I have any dietary issues that preclude me from enjoying a good pizza or a good doughnut. There will be other, health-related reasons why I shouldn't indulge in such food fare, of course, but that's another discussion.

I am thankful for living in a civilized part of the planet that provides for the hungry, the homeless, and the hurting. Maybe not always the way we think they should, but then, who says the government should be doing it in the first place? There are food banks, street organizations, free and nearly-free accommodations for the homeless. Again, I wonder how many other countries provide this service.

I am thankful, on that note, that I am not one of the homeless. Despite losing a job here or there, as well my house to a fire, I have never been without either a house or a home for the past fifty-four years. Personal space and place is, in my opinion, an important factor in one's well-being.

I am thankful for options when it comes to education, healthcare, and employment. We live in quite a province. To be sure, there are different issues that irritate us, and we somehow have this Big Brother mentality, one that expects the government to do this and that. For myself, I think less government and more people is the way to go. Let's be grateful for what they do and let's get on with the rest.

I am thankful for health and strength. I have a number of friends, and friends of friends, who have already passed away from cancer and heart issues. My little scare of fifteen months ago was a very healthy (pun intended) wake-up call. I can still play Monopoly with the best of them.

And, finally, I am very thankful for my family. By no means do I have a perfect or nearly-perfect family, starting with me. It is no easy task to raise kids in this culture anymore, especially eight of them. It's also no easy task to live with a father like me! And marriage! In a day when it is becoming more and more popular to drop out rather than hang in, I am grateful for mutual commitment to keep going.

Now I don't know how many times you grunted a reluctant "amen," or perhaps something quite the opposite, but guess what: I am grateful that you read this column once again, and if was a encouragement to you, make that a double thanks.