Five Things to be Grateful for this Thanksgiving

It may be 2020, now notoriously referred to as the "Year of Covid". However, the worst of circumstances can be an opportunity to make us appreciate even more the value of what we still have and are experiencing.

1. LOVED ONES

Surely, you have people that care about you, have been there for you, check on you, and are consistent with you. In other words, they love you. You may not have a spouse or husband/wife, but maybe you have great parents who are still alive and support you or just one really good friend you trust and cant talk to. They may not necessarily be a blood relative, hence why I titled this section as simply "loved ones". Sometimes, our families can mean well, but fall short of this or may not be good influences at all. Some people find their family with those who are of no blood relation to them and that's okay. Still, if you have family members or loved ones that are alive and well, you need to let them know now how much you love and appreciate them! Tomorrow is not promised to any of us.

Some of us even had babies this year born amidst the Covid pandemic! I myself gave birth to my daughter, Lyla, May 13, 2020. Just goes to show you that no matter how doomed the future or present circumstances may seem for humanity, life is strong and will always find a way.

2. FREEDOM

We cannot truly appreciate the freedom to make our own choices (good or bad!), go to the beach whenever we feel like it, eat whatever foods we want, talk to whoever we want when we want to, take a walk down the road or street, go to a different city, state, country whenever we want....until those freedoms are lost, restricted or taken away. If you are free to do or have any of the above freedoms, BE GRATEFUL.

"In March, 2020, the Department of Justice issued its report, noting the county and municipal jail population, totaling 738,400 inmates"(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incarceration_in_the_United_States). Could you imagine being locked up during Covid? As if being incarcerated isn't bad enough, in some institutions the inmates are not even allowed to have contact with each other at this time, making it even more depressing and isolated.

In Australia, a strict mandatory 6-day house arrest lockdown went into effect November 18, 2020 (https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/11/18/936175398/south-australia-enters-circuit-breaker-coronavirus-lockdown) in order to stop the spread of the virus. I am still shocked at how free people in the U.S. are despite a global pandemic. In Florida, wearing a mask is not legally mandatory and we basically can go wherever we want at this time. If you do not have any pre-existing health issues, maintain physical distance, and wear a mask, you can do this without the risk of getting sick or spreading the virus.

3. HEALTH IS WEALTH

How many of us are and have been perfectly healthy during this whole global pandemic? How many have had the virus and survived it with minimal or no symptoms? Everyday that you wake up, you should be thankful. Some people did not wake up today. Some people had loved ones get sick and die today (whether due to the virus or other circumstances).

Everyday that you can take a breath is a blessing. Yes, you will go through hard times, yes life can be difficult, but everyday that you are alive, you have the chance to survive and overcome those difficulties. You can't appreciate what you have or dwell on what you don't have if you are no longer here at all...so be thankful for whatever emotions you are feeling today, good or ill.

4. FOOD, SHELTER, BASIC NEEDS

While there is a global pandemic, most of us are still living in abundance of our basic needs getting met. I have heard rumors of a food shortage being the next stage to this pandemic and global crisis. However, restaurants and small business may have suffered and been suffering during this pandemic, but now most of them are open and/or just operating differently (such as no-contact deliver and doordash, for example).

If you can make the choice everyday as to what and how you want to eat, you should be grateful. Some people have been struggling to provide food for themselves and their families long before this pandemic even existed. Some people will be on the streets, cold and homeless, during this coming winter. Nothing has changed in regards to poverty, homelessness, addiction, starvation, and other human conditions. If you and/or your family/loved ones are living comfortably or are having your basic needs met, be grateful.

5. GOD/THE UNIVERSE

Finally, last but not least (but the most significant!), be thankful to your higher power for getting you through and protecting you and your loved ones through all the tough times in your life. Surely, there have been times in your life where you have had close calls,....that truck that just barely missed hitting you, the medical exam that turned out to be benign, acceptance into the college/University of your dreams despite an incomplete application and financial deficits, your family member's illness that went into remission. I have a hard time accepting that these things are just coincidental.

Maybe that family member or friend you loved dearly passed away. Be thankful that they are with your Creator who it taking care of him or her now, as he or she has always done and always will. All these things are easier said than done, which is why I am writing this, to hear and accept my own advice as much as I am sharing it with you.

Do you know how many times I put myself in dangerous or risky situations, only to come out unscathed? No, you probably don't, but you know how many times you have put yourself in those situations. Maybe you did have some awful traumatic experience,...but you have survived it. That was not just luck or coincidence. Perhaps you were meant to overcome that experience to share your testimony and inspire others. You are here because God made you, loves you, and wants you to be here, so be grateful. Have a blessed Thanksgiving everyone! Love and blessings to you all! In Jesus name, Amen.