Wishing You a Happy Thanksgiving like No Other

Thanksgiving is a time of year when the family gets to come together and spend quality time with each other. It is at times like these when we get to really appreciate gratitude, love and what it means. With the special day just a few days away, it gives us all something to look forward to.

This thanksgiving is also a time where we should think of the first responders like paramedics, health care workers, police, firefighters. It also includes other people helping us lead a normal life, especially the ones that have the grocery stores stocked with food. It is a great time of the year to show our appreciation of the contributions and sacrifices they make to our society. Our lives would have been a lot difficult if it were not for these great people.

None of this year’s events takes away the spirit of thanksgiving, however. If anything, the spirit of this occasion is clearer than ever before. This is because Thanksgiving is a time to say our thanks for everything we have regardless of our hardships, and this year is a year where the good things in our lives mean more to us than usual.

Let us try and surround ourselves with positive vibes. Let us focus on the positives, and pretty much every family will have good things to say and support each other. It is the happy time of year, for everyone to have the spirit of gratitude.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow – Melody Beattie

It is thought that the first thanksgiving in Canada took place in 1578. This event would have been held by Sir Martin Frobisher, the English explorer who is credited with discovering Frobisher Bay. Sir Frobisher and his crew would not have had the luxuries we do today. Instead of a sumptuous turkey with pumpkin and all the other trimmings, they instead had a meal of mushy peas, biscuits, and salted beef.

It might not sound much to us but for Frobisher and his crew it would have been a veritable feast. Thanksgiving was not an official celebration at that time, but the tradition of getting together to express thanks for what we have had begun. It was in November 1879 the Thanksgiving became a national holiday in Canada. It was not until 1957 the date was set to second Monday of every October and the occasion has been celebrated ever since.

This time of the year also means the change in weather and us enjoying the most beautiful sights nature has to offer. As the hours of sunlight falls on trees and shrubs, it triggers the withdrawal of their reserves into their roots so they can be used again in the spring. The change of verdant green leaves to glorious result of leaves in reds, yellows, oranges, and browns turning the Canadian skyline into a stunning tapestry of colour.

It is the most beautiful time of the year of all seasons and truly a sign of always having something to be thankful for. As things around the world continue to change every day let us have a positive mindset and support each other in every way we can. Wishing you a safe, healthy and a happy Thanksgiving!