Happy Thanksgiving

Well here we are again folks on the eve of another Thanksgiving Day!

Some of you will finish packing today to begin your journey towards

your dinner destination. Others, like me, will be busy preparing what has been asked of you to bring to big family meal that just includes a short ride.

Family, extended family, and friends is what Thanksgiving is all about. Some family members you haven't seen in ages and some you may have seen last week. That doesn't matter. It's the wonderful fact that you are all there in one space for the day as family.

Thanksgiving, as I see it, is a day that its name claims. A day of thanks giving. No matter what menu you plan and no matter how elegant the meal it is only as good as the thankfulness and love you put into it.

At just about every dinner table across America on Thursday a new place setting will be added or one, sadly, taken away. For those that have been added we rejoice to have them with us. And for those that are no longer here we swallow the lump in our throats and choke back the tears because we miss them.

It is a comfort for me and my family to know that even though my mom and dad are no longer here they started this tradition in our family many years ago and stuck by it. They won't be there again this year to sit beside us and chat and enjoy the meal but they will be there in sprirt.

How do I know? I know my dad. He loved to eat and see people enjoy food.

So, if you are missing someone this Thanksgiving, regardless of where they are, the spirit of your loved one is beside you. You just have to believe.

Be thankful for what you have and feel blessed. Please don't forget to say a prayer for those that may not have a home to go to or family to share it with. And please, as always, send special prayers to our great men and women in the military.

Have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving.