Merry Thanksgiving Day

 

Within a few days of this column showing up in your mailbox, it will be the Canadian Thanksgiving holiday. For some, it means a day off school and work; for others, a family reunion. In a drastic sense for others, it means death. (Horace, I'm talking about the turkeys.)

Sad to say, I am probably more aware of the origins of American Thanksgiving than I am of the Canadian one. I suppose I could dive into one of Pierre Berton's books and solve that problem, but this column is not, for the most part, even a casual history lesson.

Regardless of origins, it is good to take time to reflect on all the good things we enjoy, both as a nation and as a family. The Lord above knows that there are enough wankers—if that is even a word—in this world (and that includes all the players in the staffroom, boardroom, and dining room) today.

Actually, I saw a small Veggie Tales poster in a classroom the other day. It said: A thankful heart is a happy heart. Translation: if you are grateful, you will be happy. Re-statement of the translation: if you develop a thankful spirit, you will be more content.

If you are a parent or a grandparent, and have experienced a birthday party or two with your darlings, you may recall that there is much pouting, fits, and outbursts. The gift was too small, wrong colour, or a myriad of other insensitive responses; and instead of gratitude for the present, there was ingratitude. And in case you failed to make the connection: an unthankful kid is an unhappy kid.

As a result, the little darling was miserable for the rest of the day, making everyone around him or her likewise miserable.

I live in what in what I believe to be the greatest country in the world. I could write column after column about Canada's faults at every level, but I choose not to. Yes, I allude to the blind spots of the politicians on occasion; indeed, I decry the moral and spiritual decay of our culture betimes. But that is not the same as whining perpetually about everything I disagree with.

I don't know about you, but being around those types of people really gets me down. It's like a negative net has been thrown at my feet, and trips me up; or a negative fog is is my face, and it clouds my thinking. Around them too much, and I develop some of the same attitudes.

So I am happy to be in Canada, because I am grateful for all there good things we have. I am slowly running out of space here, so let me try to list them. You can add your own reasons at your leisure. And by the way, these are not in any particular order

1. The freedom and right to vote. My man or woman may not always get in, nor do they necessarily conduct themselves the way I wish them to, but I at least have some say. And I feel I have the liberty to express my preference.

2. The freedom to worship God. It's my choice to do so; it may be your choice not to. There is no state-run institution that demands a certain religion, with terrible consequences if not followed. Forced worship flies in the face of the real thing.

3. The freedom to speak out. Another term is "free speech," and while it can and is often abused, it is still out there. I see this freedom slowly eroding, so I am concerned about expressing my concerns about any number of societal issues and trends that are neither wise nor healthy. To date, though, there is still a measure of free speech, even for the conservative voice.

So Merry Thanksgiving Day to one and all. I am so thankful (= happy), I'm going to put a happy face stamp on the next ballot I see, right after church. Glad I have the liberty to even say that.