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Thanksgiving: Giving thanks should be an everyday thing

In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday of November to be a national day of thanksgiving. Though President Franklin Roosevelt issued a proclamation in the 1940s establishing that Thanksgiving day would fall on the second to last Thursday of November, he would later sign a bill into law stating that Thanksgiving would be observed on the fourth Thursday of the month.

It's great that, on this day, most people stop to give thanks for all they have. But being grateful for one's blessings, in my view, should be an everyday thing.

Many people spend more time yearning for things they don't have than being grateful for the things and people already in their lives. We mustn't forget there are a lot of people who are less fortunate than we are, and who would kill to be in our shoes for a day.

What makes the holiday season special is that it not only gives us an opportunity to give thanks, but it propels us to give to others. Everyone talks about spreading holiday cheer, but what better way to do it than donating money, goods, or toys to those in need?

Happy Thanksgiving!


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