Thanksgiving is always a great time of the year. Families get together, college kids come home, and of course, the giving of thanks. But, year after year, as this Thanksgiving season comes to an end, I am always left with the same question: Why do we wait until Thanksgiving to show our gratitude? Why do we all wait for this one day of the year to show people our appreciation for them? Or better yet, maybe not even just Thanksgiving, but just overall holidays in general. We wait until Thanksgiving to tell people we are grateful for them and everything they do. We wait until someone's birthday to basically tell them how happy we are that someone gave birth to them. We wait until Valentine's Day to show our love for someone and so on and so forth. But why? Why do we feel like we need to wait?

Imagine how much greater and happier of a world we would live in if everyone decided to tell people how much they mean to them whenever they felt like it. Imagine how better your day would be if you got a random text or phone call from a best friend, family member, partner, or anyone in your life that simply said that you mean a lot to them. Imagine how much better you would feel even being the one to send that text or make that phone call and knowing that you just made someone's day that you care about.

Additionally to just showing thanks to a person more often than just a few days out of the year, what about everything else in your life that you are grateful for that maybe you take for granted? What about your health and the fact that you wake up every morning with air in your lungs? Or your faith, whether it be faith in a God or just having faith in yourself to get through each day. Basically everything and everyone in your life. Be thankful for those that have come into your life and left, no matter the reason, because whether they were a positive influence or negative, I'm sure after they left they helped you find a little piece of yourself you didn't know was there prior to them. Be thankful for all the obstacles that have entered your path, for they helped prove your strength and perseverance as you overcame them.

So, in the upcoming year, I say we all try and take a new route in the way we go about things. Rather than wait for birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays to show appreciation, love, and gratitude for all the people and things you have in your life, we should try to show constant appreciation for everything. We are all blessed in so many aspects in our life, so why not make that known every day?