I am glad that Thanksgiving Day is here. It is a good reminder that I have a lot to be thankful for. I realized today that I live in a country that has become so extraordinarily wealthy in the space of such a short time, due to the natural resource of oil. That wealth is not always a good thing, however, because some people, who really have so little to complain about, have begun to complain about the littlest things, because they need something to complain about. I don’t want to follow suit.
I looked up the definition of thanksgiving. It means ‘prayer of thanks’ or a ‘giving of thanks’. I am thankful for being alive, living in the present, for all the opportunities God has sent my way, for ALL the wonderful women and men in my life—family and friends. I am thankful to my parents who were more than just that—they were my friends and I miss them. I thank my husband for the years we have had together and hope there are many more to come. I complain about my job, but I am thankful for a good income. I am thankful for the roof over my head and a warm apartment especially today since it was windy and bitter cold in Oslo. I am thankful for the nature outside my window and the birds and animals without which life would be much poorer. We are privileged on this planet and we should be thankful that it has provided us with so much. We should then take care of it out of gratitude for what it has given us.
I am thankful for being an American, for the fact that my country, despite its many faults, has done so much for the world and that its history reflects that. The USA is going through a tough struggle now, but I have faith that it will emerge a better and stronger country. And when I look around at those people who are working silently and tirelessly to make the world a better place, I am ashamed of my own passivity sometimes. But I know too that I am working in my own way to make the world a more just place. I am preoccupied with justice for all. I am trying to light a candle in the darkness. I get discouraged at times, but I get up again and keep at it. I am thankful for being able to do that, because I live in a free country. We should not take our freedoms for granted. They could so easily disappear tomorrow. We have been given many opportunities and privileges. I hope we make good use of them—that what we do helps others and does not just promote ourselves. There has been too much of the latter in the world lately. We need to find our way back to a spirit of gratitude and humility. We need the reminder to be grateful that Thanksgiving Day gives us.
Have a wonderful celebration, all my family and friends in America (and those of you who are living overseas like me)! I wish we could all be together. I love you all.
