Happy Thanksgiving...and then some!

by Skip Cohen

​For those of us in the US, there really is no Hump Day this week since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and many of us are off Friday as well. So, I'm turning today's post into a wish for all of you.

The world has become increasingly bizarre, from war to Mother Nature to fires, product recalls, and even Congress's inability to agree on much of anything...It's a mess. Sheila and I always watch the news early in the evening, so we're not left with the insanity in our minds just before going to sleep!

Despite it all - here we are, safe and sound, with Thanksgiving one day away. I know many of you have a tradition on the holiday of going around the table and sharing what you're thankful for in your life. Well, how about if we're all thankful for our ability this year (this is a BIG ask) to help change the world? How about if we're all grateful, not for what we have, but for what we can do to help slow down the ugliness?

I won't deny I'm thankful for my health, Sheila, the pups, and my life, but Thanksgiving should go deeper than that. Let's be grateful for our ability to help people who have nothing left to be thankful for except their health. Let's be grateful that we can reach out and help somebody else on the planet. 

It's hypocritical that I write about this stuff when, in my own family, we no longer talk to each other. Thanksgiving was always my favorite holiday and a time for memory-making, but the pain and everyone's inability to forgive or even take the first step back to being what we once were is buried under tons of baggage too complicated to dig through. We're all at fault, and I know we're not unique, but it is sad to see that my family's ugliness is just a microcosm of the world stage.

When you go around the table this year at Thanksgiving, first give thanks that you have a table to sit around, both physically and figuratively. Then, give thanks for your ability to help change your little corner of the world. Think about it: if everyone would help make their community a better place, all those small communities would add up.

And for me, a big thanks to all of you, my readers. I appreciate your support far more than a blog post can ever show. Your feedback is so important, and together, we're all helping to make a difference in an industry near and dear to each of us.

Wishing everyone a beautiful day tomorrow with plenty of time to think about your corner of the world. Give "love" top billing and, most importantly, be thankful for all those people in your life who together help make a difference.

Happy Thanksgiving!