Contemplate – What Thanksgiving Means to Me

As I started to write a grand Thanksgiving post about gratitude and thankfulness, and as I made a mental list of my many blessings, I realized one word kept coming into play… freedom. Most every blessing I listed would not be a part of my life without that one word.

Because of freedom, I am able to write this post with no fear of repercussions. Because of freedom, I am able to say a blessing before our Thanksgiving feast and worship in the open. Because of freedom, I am able to work in my chosen field and make an income to participate in an All-American activity, Black Friday shopping.  Because of freedom, my children are able to attend school and get an education to then build lives of their own choosing.  I could go on and on about the correlation between freedom and blessings, but I think you get the point.

And when I think of freedom, I think of the incredibly selfless men and women that serve, and have served, for the sake of us all. Although Veterans Day, also celebrated in November, has come and gone, I believe these heroes should be celebrated every day as one of our greatest blessings.

These photos were taken at the annual Veterans Day parade in our little “Village” area on St. Simons Island, GA. Our family attends every year and you would be hard pressed to find many dry eyes among both the participants and spectators, young and old alike.  Sweet, sentimental, stirring… all the emotions that make me so thankful to be an American not only on Thanksgiving but every day of the year.

Whitney Wise Long is co-founder of The Southern C.  She is thankful to live in the good old USA.