Tomorrow is the first of two Thanksgiving “holidays” that I celebrate (the other being American Thanksgiving), but as I hope you’ve been able to discern from my posts, Thanksgiving shouldn’t be just something that you just think about as you stuff yourself full of food. It also shouldn’t be the only time (or, combined with Christmas, the “only times”) you think about assisting the “have nots”. There are plenty of people down on their luck, and while I have little patience for those who are capable of working but will not because they see a job as being “beneath” them, for those who are shut ins due to age or illness, maybe you will consider going a bit out of your way to help those who are in need.

I know, I know, with the current economic downturn, we all are in need, but still. When I was first starting out on my own, really learning how to cook (and I’m not talking about throwing a dish in a microwave or glopping a can into a casserole), I used to look out for my neighbours. Elsie lived on one side. She was in her 80s, her daughter came to see her 3 or 4 times a week. Up until the last six months before I moved, she was in perfect health, had her wits about her, but couldn’t get out, and was frail to the point where she couldn’t cook for herself. The Colonel and his wife lived on the other side of me. He was in his 70s, she was in her mid 60s, and suffering from terminal cancer. Every day, he would rise, walk the dog, then return to bathe his wife, dress her, and bring her (normally in a wheel chair) out to the patio (if the weather was good) or their picture window (if the weather was not). These three people were very appreciative of the dishes I prepared. I learned that I liked spices, and they did too (well, I like pepper more than the average human being, but I digress). I’d cook 3-4 times a week (mostly on Tuesdays, Thursdays and on the weekend), and always made sure that little containers of food (enough for at least a meal for everyone) was delivered. Sometimes, they’d want to pay me for the food — and sometimes, I took the money, and spent it on buying more food with which I fed us all. Sometimes, I refused the money, knowing that they were living on a fixed income.

There was one thanksgiving that I sent enough turkey and sides over to feed Elsie, her daughter Ruth, The Colonel, his wife, and their son. I still had plenty of food to fill my plate, and have leftovers for days.

I didn’t do it because I wanted thanks or glory. I did it because I was giving thanks. These wonderful people were a part of my life — the Colonel is still alive, and still lives there, but his wife passed on about 10 years ago, and Elsie passed shortly thereafter after suffering from dementia and probably Alzheimers’ for about 2 years.

The point I’m trying to make is that to me, Thanksgiving was more than a dream, and it’s more than just a day that we celebrate. It’s a joy that should live on in our hearts, every day of the year.

Instead of doing a personal post yesterday, I switched up the kitchen babble above on the headline — after all, since Google only wants to index the first thing it comes to, I’m not quite sure exactly how this will play out in the great “search engine” escapades, but then again — I’m not exactly out for a popularity contest. I’m not wanting the blog to ever grow to the point where it becomes a job and not something that I enjoy.

Life, however, is sweet. There is so much to be thankful for: the ones I love, my true love, my friends, you, my home, my job, even my bills.

Okay, you’re going to write me off as a nutjob for being thankful for my bills, but that means that I have the things that I enjoy, but that I still realize they’re only “things”. If I were to wake up tomorrow and they were gone, yes, I’d be sorry, I’d probably even cry (yes, I’m a guy, and I cry), but it’s the people in my life that mean the most. I’m not one of those smarmy people who tell you to love everyone — in fact, I’ll tell you right off the bat that there are certain people I cannot stand to be around, and that even the sound of their voice causes the hair on the back of my neck to stand up. The thing I remember, hwoever, is tha tI don’t allow them to have free rent inside my head.  That’s precious real estate, and they don’t deserve it.

So, as we approach Canadian Thanksgiving, take some time to stop (or at least slow down) and give thanks for all the good things in your life. More than likely, there’s a lot more than you can initially name.

So, the hard drive has been received by the recovery team, but there’s been no update. I’m sitting, haivng a cup of tea, thinking about recipes, things I want to cook, people I wish to cook for.

That’s the funny thing, and a lot of times you don’t think about it — whom would you wish to cook for? These days, so many people are in fast-forward mode that they find it completely impossible to slow down and enjoy being in the moment. Why is “slow food” dead, while “fast food” is killing us?

My take on it all is this: we’ve reached a point (as the bashing the economy is taking, including my retirement and investments) where the universe is saying: “Okay, enough.  You’ll never be satisfied with all that you have, and you’ll always want more. Maybe by losing some of the things you’ve attempted to hoard, since you do not wish to share with those who have less than you, you’ll learn the most important lesson. Life isn’t about ‘things’. Life is about moments. Moments of happiness, moments of sorrow, moments of beauty, anger, fear, love, those moments that can take your breath away.”

Face it, when you’re presented with the situation as it is, those people who take the time to do more than just wallow in their sorrow see exactly what I wrote. It’s time to quit “keeping up with the Jones’,” or feeling the need to “get ahead.” Life is passing us by. Our children are growing up, not really knowing who their parents are. We put in long hours, and for what? Just so that we can have ‘the next best thing’? Is having a 64″ HD Plasma television, Blu-Ray DVD player, and 500 channels what life is about? Or is it about bringing a smile to a friend’s face? Hearing their laughter at sharing memories, and making new ones? Perhaps it’s nothing more than having your shoulder stained by tears as you hold a loved one as they mourn the passing of a loved one. Those are the real things that matter in life. Not how much you have in your bank account. Not what kind of car you drive, or the designer label in your clothes. Those are merely things.

Tell someone you love how much they mean to you. Cook them a meal. Invite them over for coffee, tea, or just an evening where the television isn’t the centre of attention. You might be surprised how much your life is enriched.

I’m grateful I learned this lesson before it was too late… perhaps you may be able to as well.