As the leaves start to turn deep shades of orange, red and yellow, and many families and friends gather around tables overflowing with turkey, vegetables and bread, I am reminded of the power of gratitude.

What are we grateful for?  Our parents?  Our children?  Our siblings?  Our health?  Our home?  A job we enjoy doing?  Friends who understand us?  Food that fuels our bodies and gives us joy?

Or do we focus on the things we want?  To lose weight?  To get that promotion?  To move to a bigger home?  To have more vacation time?

Oprah said, “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more.  If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”

This is something we can practice every day of our lives.  Being thankful makes us happy. It doesn’t work the other way around.

William Arthur Ward once said, “Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.”

May we stop and have gratitude for all the little things that add up to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. Today, and every day, give thanks.