It is time to give thanks

We hear an increasing number of people expressing the view that Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday of the year.

Of course, it could have something to do with the turkey and dressing, rolls and gravy, pumpkin pie and on and on.

And it does.

But we are sure many refer to the day of peaceful reflection, the time with family and friends and the opportunity to pause and just be thankful for our many blessings.

With that in mind, we offer several reasons to be thankful on this wonderful day in 2009.

--First of all, we give thanks to a loving God who has made us all in his image and given us the free will to worship in our own manner.

--We are thankful for this nation of freedom in which we have the basic rights to live our lives as we see fit without fear of coercion. And we are thankful to the men and women of the Armed Services, past and present, who have made the sacrifice to insure that freedom.

--Thanks are to be offered for the Arkansas traditions instilled in us; among these are love of the land and nature, a basic honesty, belief in a day's work for a day's pay and a good dose of common sense that serves us well in our dealings with others.

--As we look around our home here in Northeast Arkansas, we are thankful for the bounteous nature of the land and the way of life that it has engendered for generations; to good soil and the adequate supply of water lead to a diversity in agriculture that is the envy of many.

--We are thankful for those who serve us in helping meet our basic needs; we refer to the law enforcement officers and firefighters who provide safety and to the medical workers who care for our health in such a sacrificial spirit.

--We thank those involved in our educational system; we give them such great responsibility when we entrust our children to them each day and they are to be commended for devotion to their profession and the creativity they display in helping impart knowledge to each generations.

--Each of us no doubt is thankful for family and the loving and close relationships that evolve over the years; the opportunity to spend this wonderful day with our families is a real gift to be treasured. "Rest and be thankful" is the inscription on a stone seat in the Scottish Highlands and is the title of one of Wordsworth's poems. That to us is the message of thanksgiving.

Rest your body and rest your soul and let yourself develop a spirit of thankfulness. Brush aside the day-to-day worries of the world (which we tend to magnify unnecessarily) and reflect on what is good in God's perfect creation and in each and every one of our lives.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

--REK