Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Its message is not that we must be thankful; not that everything is as we'd wish; not that there are no grounds for grief, concern and anger. And gratitude at the individual level is a matter of personal, daily choice.
I love Thanksgiving for the message to all people, of all beliefs and circumstances, that we as a society have much for which to give thanks; we have many people to whom and for whom to give thanks; and that it is good and important - it is worth closing business and government offices - to reflect on that together, and to give thanks as a nation.
