As the holiday suggests, it's an appropriate time to give thanks and thousands upon thousands of Americans will do just that as they sit down to a meal on Thursday.
Our material possessions are obvious. Many of us live comfortably in a land of great wealth, never having to struggle for shelter in the rain and cold, or having bare cupboards when it's time to eat.
Where we live in three-bedroom houses, people in other parts of the world live in huts. Where we have electricity and running water, many people in other nations do not.
But perhaps the biggest thing we can be thankful for are the rights and freedoms we enjoy in America. These are perhaps our biggest blessings -- basic rights we have come to expect such as freedom of speech and freedom of religion.
Often we don't appreciate these rights when someone says something we don't agree with, but that's the essence of free speech.
We are all different people with different views. We don't think alike. Being able to verbalize our thoughts, even if those ideas may be different than our neighbor's ideas, or even our president's ideas, is a great privilege.
The same goes with freedom of religion. We are often quick to ostracize someone who has religious beliefs that may not be in line with ours. That doesn't have to be a bad thing. Having the right to worship as we please is one of the great joys of being an American.
At a time when we routinely give thanks for our health, our homes, and our families, let's not forget to give thanks for our country and the framework put in place by our Founding Fathers.
Being able to say what we want and worship as we please are true blessings. We should be thankful for this honor and not criticize others who may think and worship differently than we do.