Think Thankful Thoughts and show Thankful Deeds

November is quickly turned into a benchmark month for me. My favorite holiday lives in this month, many of you know that I’ve been sort of on a crusade to make Thanksgiving the favored status holiday on the calendar, often times is well overshadowed by the one that comes after it.

I have nothing against Christmas, but each year the drive to make Christmas bigger than the last is slowly making me long for the simpler and low key holidays. Thanksgiving is that fine example. Outside of where you’re going, whose cooking and how much or little to eat, the decisions regarding Thanksgiving are mild and stress free compared to the chaos that’s on the way when we turn the calendar to December. Think for a moment about how much you and I have to be thankful for and the holiday now not only stress and care free, takes on even more significant meaning which I believe is paramount to making this holiday the champ of all.

We’re as a society not a thankful bunch. I know I have more than enough people to thank for where I’ve landed in life and yet all too often I fail to say the magic words to show gratitude, ‘Thank you.’ For myself, I get bogged down. Forget. Just get lost in the stuff of my day and often don’t express the thankfulness to those family members, clergy, co-workers and trusted friends that have helped me in many ways too numerous to mention.

Here’s something we can all do to show our gratitude that’s easy, fun and convenient. This Saturday join me and other Free Press staffers at Quakertown’s Community High School. Breakfast begins serving somewhere around 8am and you can enjoy a hot breakfast while thanking a huge group of people who by this columnist’s view don’t get enough praise and thanks. Our Veterans. Vet’s Day often goes quietly into the night. Everyone so focused on the upcoming holidays that those who serve often see this important holiday slip past without many of us non-vets and civilian types making mention. It’s a national day of recognition, there will be no mail, many state, federal and other business’s are shut down. This year it falls on a Saturday and you may notice the doors on a few of your stops around town are closed in honor of the holiday.

Veterans Day is a day for all of us to stop think, then thank those who’ve put others first. Those who’ve put principles, honor and liberty, ahead of personal gain and recognition. Memorial Day we get a chance to do this, except that holiday is reserved mostly for our war dead, although again we often thank those who’ve served and are serving. This Veterans Day though allows us to rejoice in a more grateful way to thank those that have given service to our nation. Many of these fine folks happily are still walking this side of the grass. I have no beef with honoring our war dead, as it should always be. But here’s a thankful thought, wouldn’t it be great to start thanking many of our Vets that are still with us?

Do your part, grab a veteran friend or neighbor this Saturday morning, put all your pre holiday planning on hold for the morning and treat a Vet to breakfast. Find out what they’ve done to help make this country and nation a better place. You’ll feel better for putting others first and you’ll gain a lot of insight into what Vets do to make our country great. I’m supposed to be in the kitchen with editor Chris Barnes and some other Free Press types doing the cooking so come out and say hi. The food ought to be fine and the company even better.

Take time to think, thank and be grateful. November is a chance to thank the Vets, then think of what we all have to be thankful for before the big meal, this year on the 23rd. Before the 23rd stop on the 11th and give a real hearty ‘Thanksgiving’ to our Veterans and I’ll look forward to see many filled tables at the high school with lots of us treating our local vets to a warm breakfast meal and a hearty thank you for their service. This Saturday and beyond, See ya round town.