It always seemed ironic to me that the day for showing gratitude is the day before Black Friday where you buy anything your heart desires because you can, and because it's on sale. Thanksgiving is great because it causes us to take control of our lives and appreciate all that we have. My family has this tradition where we sit at the table before the meal and pass around a dish with candy corn in it. Each person takes a turn grabbing a piece of candy corn and saying what they are most thankful for that year. It is a good way to be able to think of all we have and be grateful for it. I am so thankful for all that I have and often wonder what I did to deserve it. Each person and opportunity in my life is such a blessing! I have to remind myself to be thankful for these things not just on Thanksgiving. We are so lucky to live in America; the land of opportunity. We sometimes think we have it rough, but even on our worst days we still have it so much better than others. We need to remember to be grateful for what we have for the other 364 days of the year. We should start off each day thankful that we woke up and have another chance to do better, be better and make the world better. We take little things for granted that we should show more appreciation for - our houses, cars, full stomachs, clothes of all kinds... you get the point. There is a large part of the world that lives on less than $1 a day, and here we are complaining about paying $5 for a cup of coffee. There are people around who would give anything to spend one more day with a lost loved one/deceased parent. I'm not trying to make you feel like horrible person or guilt trip you here - that's not my intent. My intent is to remind you of all that you have so you can take an extra second to be thankful for what you have. So for this holiday season, whether you spend it alone or with your family that drives you absolutely nuts, be grateful for all you have and remind those around you that Thanksgiving is not just one day.