Since I am an avid television-watcher - preferring situation comedies, or uplifting mysteries - I never miss the American Thanksgiving. Almost every show has a thanksgiving episode. So, between our Thanksgiving holiday in October and then Remembrance Day (Veteran's Day in the U.S.) in November, closely followed by our southern neighbours' Thanksgiving, I have to dub the entire season - all the way through Christmas and New Year's - as the Season of Gratitude.
Remembrance Day has become my favourite holiday. I consider it a huge honour to live in a community that welcomes public prayer and interfaith ceremonies. It's also incredibly important for people from all walks of life to have a day of rest in order to reflect on what the day means.
I have no problem admitting that, at both of the Remembrance Day services I attended this year - the one at the high school and the one at the Cenotaph - I bawled like a freaking baby. Discreetly, of course, but I couldn't hold back the tears of joy and gratitude.
The strength, courage and willingness of the soldiers is what I am most grateful for - if they weren't willing, or brave enough, or disciplined enough, what kind of army would we have?
I'm grateful for those who are fighting for peace now, because I couldn't be the one to go. I'm not only a total wussy, I'm also not a team player. Well, I suppose, that's because I have a choice. If I had to go and fight, I would, and could, because it's the right thing to do, when necessary, isn't it? I am, after all, a Mama Bear, and I would do some serious damage to anyone who would threaten my child!
My Grandfather, Bill Finney, in his photo at the Legion #47, looks to be about 12 years old - I know he couldn't have been that young, but he was more of a child than he was a man, when he was sent off to war. I am grateful that he came back, because otherwise my family, as we know it, would not be here. I never knew him, but without him, I could not exist.
I know so many people who could say the very same thing, about their parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents. Most veterans are our ancestors and their courage is why we have the freedom of choice that we do today.
When I think about our freedom - to choose how we will spend our days, our years and our lives - it's kind of mind-blowing to realize that we wouldn't have the endless choices that we do if people had not fought for those choices.
It's not just wars that have to be fought. We must fight for our minds.
I'm glad I can choose how to spend my time, because I can fill my days with breathtaking and inspiring music and art, creativity and fun, or I can fill my days with disappointing and depressing whining and complaining, worry and guilt. It seems to me that these choices - although obvious to most - are actually not so easy for many people.
If conventional wisdom can teach us how not to make the world a more hostile place, why don't more people choose better? Is it a repeating pattern, bound by habitual choices? Or is it an unconscious action that can be corrected with simple awareness?
It may seem that I keep harping on this, but I'll remind my readers that these musings are a form of therapy for me. Process is everything to this artist. Anyway, I will, like a good broken record, repeat that gratitude is the literal and metaphorical shortcut to happiness.
Each person is totally responsible for his or her own life, down to each and every response. Since we have the ability to choose our responses, we are intrinsically responsible for our own side of every experience. We can perceive an event negatively, or we can give thanks for whatever it is supposed to do for us in the big picture.
Giving thanks during times of struggle is one of the most difficult things to do, but the results of doing so can be miraculous.
They say you get more of whatever you're thankful for - so I choose gratitude as my success strategy, my theme song and my brand identity. The world will thank me for it later.
