This weekend is Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada. Thanksgiving comes when the leaves are entering the height of their glory and the air is just beginning to turn crisp. The last of the season’s produce is being harvested and apple orchards are abuzz with activity. This may well be my favorite time of year.

As we move towards Thanksgiving weekend in this ongoing pandemic, I admit that my mind is thinking more about the many children and women in our world struggling, I am thinking of the many orphans left to take care of themselves, I am thinking of the many homeless people living in our streets. The world is struggling with a global health crisis, political strife, fires burning out of control, racism and violence.

This thanksgiving weekend I am thinking about you my friends, all the readers, you who I have never met with you in real but are part of my journey, you who fuel me and support me through social media, you who and I stand for each other, you who need strength this day. Friends, I can see you all in front of my eyes altogether. Thank you for all the memories your presence helped me to create. Thank you, friends, for coming into my life and making it worth a while. It has been great to have you people along with me throughout. From being the all-time support system to those encouraging statements that you have given me; thank you. I have learnt a lot from you my friends and there is no ending to this bond of ours. Friendship is the relation that prospers by all means and intentions.

Your country does not have to have a Thanksgiving holiday to be thankful. Thanksgiving should be done everyday and by everyone. I know you might wonder why should I be grateful? And what should I be grateful for? I want you to feel encouraged because in the midst of our many challenges there is so much to be grateful for that at least some of which we all have been blessed with and should cherish: faith, community, family, peace, health, home, spouse, children, friends, work, wealth, knowledge, peace and dignity and much more.

Let us reflect upon each and every one of these huge blessings and express our gratitude and thankfulness to God Almighty. This gratitude can also be through our actions by extending help to others.

My friends, no one wakes up suddenly hopeful. Hope is a habit; gratitude is the soil where hope grows. And since every day also includes today, I am thankful for the blessings that abound amongst the darkness. This is how we sufferers are healed. We parched are quenched. Thus renewed, I praise the bounty sired by gratitude and born of the very wonder and miracle of living in this world.

 I thank you for the gift of life you have given me through this beautiful, magical, mystical platform. You have helped me to see myself and my life in a whole new way – thank you for helping me to see the light – the brilliant light that was always there. All I had to do was look up.

I pray the Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace in Jesus’ name.