Thanksgiving – 5 Things To Be Thankful For This Year

Oct 14, 2022 | Relationships, Work Life Balance

Thanksgiving – why we should adopt this holiday.

We are Aussies and we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here in Australia.

However, we lived in Vancouver, BC, Canada for 10 years and our children were born there.

It was one of the best experiences of our lives so far.

And one of the absolute best parts of Canada we think, is celebrating Thanksgiving.

Apart from Christmas, it is our favourite holiday of the year.

And what I love best about it is that it is so simple.

Sure, there is a big meal, if that is how you choose to celebrate. But there are no presents to give. No big parties in the lead up to it. No mad shopping trips.

It is a holiday to stop and give thanks. To be aware of all the blessings that you have in life and to show gratitude for them.

And it is a chance to gather with your loved ones and spend time together.

Why did Thanksgiving even start?

For those of you who don’t really know much about Thanksgiving, there is the Canadian version and the US version.

The Canadian is on the 2nd Monday in October every year and the US Version is on the 4th Thursday of November every year.

The US version is tied to the pilgrims giving thanks to the local Native Americans for helping them sow their crops and sharing an autumn harvest feast.

Canadian is tied to giving thanks for the bountiful summer harvests.

We love it, as we have dinner with our kidlets. We each say what we are grateful for and we talk about our time in Canada.

A holiday that is based in thanks and gratitude is the best reason for a holiday and I will celebrate this holiday until the day I die.

And often, when it is my turn to say what I am thankful for, I will say the same things:

1. My health – I am nothing without it.

2. My loved ones – They are my everything.

3. My loved ones are healthy – No-one in our family is unwell and it is truly a blessing to say that.

4. Our extended families are all healthy too – With parents getting older, we are also very grateful that we can say this this year.

5. We have a roof over our heads, food in our tummy’s, and we are warm & safe – we know that we are very fortunate to be able to say this, as others unfortunately can’t.

This year, I have made just a couple of adjustments:

1. My health.

2. My loved ones and extended family and the fact that they are healthy

3. We have a home, food on the table, warm beds, safety and security.

4. The pressures of COVID have eased and we are returning to a more normal life.

5. Our business and our staff have traded with us and for us during the entire pandemic and we are so grateful to be able to say that, as unfortunately, others can’t.

And this is why I love Thanksgiving.

Base things, like being healthy, being with loved ones, having a home and food to eat, are the things we are grateful for. Not things.

For our North American friends – Happy Thanksgiving to you all! May you have an amazing Thanksgiving and we are so very grateful to know you! 🙂

And for our Aussie family & friends – even if you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving like we do, take a moment to stop and give thanks for all that you have. For the loved ones you have. And for your good health.

When you realise all that you have and how you can sometimes just take for granted when life gets busy, you can feel bad.

So go and tell your most important people today that you are grateful for them and you love them to pieces! 🙂

And come join us in our FB group – P.B.Network. Here you will connect with other Parent Bosses and you will end up grateful to form connections with and get support from people living the same life as you.

Now, off to eat turkey, beaver tails and pecan & pumpkin pies! Yum!