It is the holiday seasons again; everywhere.

School's out and we see joyful kids enjoying their freedom and spending quality time with their parents and siblings everywhere.

It is that time of the year, when the year is coming to an end and everyone is taking a much-deserved break after a long year (or is it really that long? time seems to fly really fast these days, especially when you get older. I speak for myself definitely).

Over in the United States and Canada, Thanksgiving is their most anticipated holiday and the time when the family and friends gather for reunion, as they reflect and observe their gratitude in conjunction with the festivities.

I used to remember friends and colleagues wishing me "Happy Thanksgiving" when it comes to this part of the year.
Many associate that Thanksgiving was part of the Christian traditions, or perhaps, in their minds, it is a Christian festival after all.

I don't blame them; well, for a first, we are located on this side of the globe, and secondly, the notion of the festival has been rather popularized by the media we are presented with over here.
Furthermore, there was that misleading perception that most of the Western festivities are related to Christianity; perhaps the fact that the majority are Christians and also that the religion originated from the West?

Well, whichever it is, it does not matter.

Thanksgiving is a festival which observes the blessings from the harvest and of the year before in gratitude.
As its name suggests, it is about giving thanks and hence gratitude is the central theme of the festival.

There are many regions in the world which celebrates the Harvest Festival, in the same manner of giving thanks though it may not be known by the same name; for instance, Japan observes the Labor Thanksgiving Day (Kino Kansha no Hi) which is a national holiday and Germany's Harvest Thanksgiving Festival (Erntedankfest).
Even Malaysia has her own Gawai Festival, celebrated in the East of Malaysia.

Thanksgiving in the United States and Canada falls on the fourth Thursday in the month of November and the second Monday of October in both countries respectively.

While we probably would not celebrate in the same manner as our American or Canadian counterparts, since we too, have our own respective cultural styles, I personally find the whole idea of Thanksgiving a rather beautiful one.

There is no reason to say that it is only celebrated in the United States or Canada, though, it is rather a major and popularized event worldwide.

I personally think that Thanksgiving is the quintessential theme of every society, culture, religion and even individual.
It is not just an event but rather, the overall concept of gratitude that takes the central importance in our daily lives.

It is all about giving thanks and being thankful for what we have and who we are in our lives, and we do have much to be grateful for.

We ought to incorporate that very idea of giving thanks every single day.

Think of the little things that we could be thankful for when we wake up every morning, and when we close our eyes to go to sleep for the night.

The list could be endless.

We could see the beauty of all the things which come our way, which may not even be what they seem when they first occurred.

I'd say that Thanksgiving should start with each and every one of us; each day.

Look at ourselves in the mirror, smile and just think of the the very fact that we could wake up in the morning, is itself already a blessing.

The list goes on.

We could think that the little misfortunes we faced are just barriers to a smooth sailing day, but they could be the blessings we just could not see.
For instance, an unexpected traffic diversion which led to a traffic jam this morning could save you from a potential mishap on the usual highway or perhaps, even a disaster coming your way.

Don't just complain about how life ought to be and how it's not the way you want it to be, but be thankful for the way it turned out and how you are living it.

Be thankful for Life itself, and be thankful for you, for you are your unique self and there is no one like you.

Just start your day every day, with that little note to give thanks and every day is just like Thanksgiving.


On that note, I would like to wish my friends who are reading a very 
Happy Thanksgiving over there as you gather with your family and friends.

Enjoy your celebrations.

We are too, celebrating with you, as we continue to be grateful for everything we have in our lives.

Let's make it Thanksgiving every day!~