What are you thankful for? Justin Trudeau doesn't count....

I have a lot to be thankful for, oh I have minor complaints like everyone, but focusing on all the good things in my life does wonders for my outlook and my health.

Fall has long been my favourite time of year, I'm not sure exactly why, it heralds the coming of winter, my least favourite season.  But I love the fall the colours, and living as I do in the shadow of the Laurentian mountains here north of Quebec City, they are spectacular.  Maybe I love the fall because its a time of harvest, a season to look back and enjoy before the cold sets in.  

This year I am particularly thankful for my wife.  Oh, I haven't told you yet dear readers, I got married to a wonderful woman on September 22nd of this year.  The resident love goddess is a fantastic person with infinite patience, and she is saving another woman somewhere on this planet a lot of grief.  

Back in 2009 I wrote a Thanksgiving post of which I'm somewhat proud. Here it is again with some editing:

The harvest is in, the food stored up for the approaching cold, and so we reflect and give thanks. Thanks for the bounty we've enjoyed, and thanks for that which has been put aside to sustain us through the coming winter.

I've often thought that an essential part of the Canadian character is our propensity to complain. We complain about the weather, about our governments, about our hockey teams…especially those of us who cheer for the Maple Leafs

We have so much to be thankful for, both individually and as a society. But perhaps it is our vast wealth that spoils us. Having so much we crave even more.

Those of us with strong family ties sometimes forget the countless people on this planet whose families have been torn apart by famine, disease, conflict and poverty. We moan about the coming onslaught of winter, forgetting that the change of seasons gives us brilliant fall colours, the sweet smells of spring and the languid days of summer. 

We have lots to be thankful for.

I’m thankful for my children, a son and a daughter who brighten my days. For a father who has always been there for me. For my mother no longer here in body but very alive in spirit  the memory of her has sustained me through many a dark hour. I’m thankful for my sister and brother and their spouses and their children, my nieces and my nephews. I’m thankful for my family, a circle that grows stronger as it expands.

I’m thankful for my friends. We live in a busy world, and often there isn’t as much time as we’d like to have together. But the time we do have is cherished, and for that I am grateful.

I’m thankful for all that has kept me going, and all that has been stocked up for the journey ahead.

Enjoy the feast, enjoy your family and enjoy your friends. And when gathered together, if conversation turns toward some complaint or minor grievance, don’t forget to also give thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving all.