Guest Writer Lisa O’Neil on Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a great tradition

The whole idea of Thanksgiving has long been one of my favorite traditions. From the first of learning of it in school. The idea that a group of people who were seemingly very different in both culture and lifestyle choose to get together in gratitude for the things they did have.

Despite the extreme hardships that had been suffered, much of which would have caused even the bravest among them to just give up or have an extreme crisis in faith.

Today things are a bit different. The bounty we check is our bank account and with gratitude for whatever we have, we forge to the store to prepare to come together to share what we have picked and harvested. One such year I was feeling particularly bountiful and decided to make a feast for my roommates.
The meal came together beautifully and I could not understand why my parents had made such a big deal about the turkey, I had found it very easy. Well one lesson I should have learned from my forefather’s is that the parts inside the bird do need to come out before you cook it. In case this is new to any of you, they come in a bag at the bottom end of the bird.
While the hardships and challenges that many of us have suffered are very real this year. Often our families can seem to be from a different planet, not knowing us at all. Please take the time to at least acknowledge the blessings both positive and negative, seen and unseen with gratitude that they have brought us.
We owe it to ourselves and the others around us to be in gratitude. Great things are coming to the surface. We are braver and stronger than we were before. Next year promises to be even better. Happy Thanksgiving! I am grateful for all you and of the moments I have gotten to share with you. Blessings to you and your families real and acquired.