It’s Turkey Day once again, or at least that’s what some people are calling it. We call it Thanksgiving.

I prefer my focus to be less on the meal and more on the companionship of family and friends. I enjoy this special time with my parents and siblings despite the fact that I see them every day in the house that we all live in.

This year, I’ll get to spend Thanksgiving with two frisky felines as well. Tippy and Misha have claimed the entire house (save the basement) as their own. Our couch has been covered with blankets to prevent scratching (a precaution that has proved useless), our living room has cat toys everywhere, and our kitchen has more Gatorade caps underneath the fridge than we’ve ever thought possible.

Right now, the cats aren’t thinking about the blessings they have: a warm home, premium cat food and humans that are at their beck and call. They are, at the moment, fighting each other for reasons that remain unknown to us.

We humans, on the other hand, have the ability to vocalize our thanks for what we have. Unfortunately, we don’t do this as often as we should. We don’t use our voices to say what we’re thankful for; instead, we complain about what we don’t have that we feel we deserve.

In a country where activist groups whine and moan that they are being oppressed by a society that provides them the same equal opportunity as everyone else, we fail to remember that we are strong and are not bound by the circumstances we are born into.

In a country where we cry out against “discrimination” aimed at “refugees” from other far away countries, we overlook the hundreds of thousands of homeless people (a lot of them veterans) that are citizens we should be helping first.

In a country where we rail against free speech because we don’t like everything that we hear, countries in the Middle East are stoning homosexuals and those who violate Islamic law (also known as Sharia Law) to death, among other grim punishments.

In a country where we complain about evil millionaires and billionaires who are the privileged elite, who “sit on piles of cash and count gold coins” while rubbing their hands evilly, those same rich folks are the biggest charity givers to causes you complain that they’re working against.

We take so many things for granted. We complain about anything we can and are offended by everything. It’s time to take a look at what we have, not just as individuals, but as a country.

Anyone looking at our family’s circumstances would say we are being beaten down by society. We live below the poverty line, we struggle every month to pay our health insurance premiums, and many of our appliances have been around for ten years or more. We got rid of cable because it was too expensive. We buy generic brands for at least 3/4 of our food. We haven’t taken a vacation, a real vacation, in years. Our house is halfway to crumbling because of problems with the walls and foundation.

As far as I and my family are concerned, however, we have been amply blessed.

We go to a Bible-believing church where the members are fully supportive of us and do everything they can to show their appreciation. We live by a beautiful lake in the middle of a small resort town. We have vehicles to get us where we need to go. Our health insurance has paid for hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical care for my dad alone, making the sky-high premiums worth it.

We also celebrate our faith in Jesus Christ, knowing that each and every member of our family is saved. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing my brother’s and sister’s faith blossom and grow every day. My mother remains the secure anchor that keeps us all tethered to our belief. My father is now a man who not only speaks Biblical wisdom and knowledge, but also follows it at home as well.

My anxiety and depression have improved dramatically, and my weight is at a much healthier point than it was seven months ago. My socialization skills may have devolved a bit, but I’m healthier and happier, and that was the main goal.

My family and I may not have all of these blessings forever, but we’ll certainly treasure them for the time being. Today, we are grateful.

We thank you for the turkey,
The gravy and the dressing.
Dear Lord, this table overflows
With Thy abundant blessing.
Let us always be aware
That all gifts come from You,
And may we serve Your heavenly will
In everything we do. Amen.

-Joanna Fuchs