This is the time of the year when we think about our friends and families, our service people who have fought, and those who are still fighting for our country and freedom. We also think about the poor and the less fortunate and we dig a little deeper into our finances pockets to give to others so that everyone can have at least one day of eating and drinking in gratitude.

But what does Thanksgiving really mean? Is it a day to consume as much calories as our body can take in? Or is it a day to reflect on our lives ... past and present?

Webster's Online Dictionary defines the word “Thanksgiving” as an expression of gratitude. Interestingly, the word Thanks was first used some time before the twelfth century, the original spelling for the word thanks was actually Thanc.

What would you do if four hours of each day was set aside for thanksgiving? Would you be able to think of enough things to give thanks for each and every day?

Should we give thanks only for the things we enjoy in life? Or should we be thankful for everything?

As our country goes through economic hardship and millions of Americans are unemployed, I still see people who are gainfully employed take their jobs for granted and even demonstrate anger because they are required to be on their job at specific times and days. This attitude proves the old saying, “You will never miss your water until your well runs dry.”

So while Thanksgiving Day should be one of the days that we give thanks for what we have, everyday holds little nuggets of goodness that we can reflect upon, which can give us a reason to give thanks. If we, as a nation and a people, make the words thank you part of our daily vocabulary we might hold a stronger attitude of gratitude.

The thank you's can be simple ... One for the  the person who opens the door for you to enter or to leave. Another for the driver who stops so you can pull out of the driveway into the flow of traffic. Yet another for the  grocery store clerk who puts your groceries into your shopping bags and one for the neighbor who picks your newspaper up off the wet grass, and puts it into an area where it can remain dry until you retrieve it. Yet another for the care provider who takes care of your loved ones many miles away from you. One for your physician who cares about your health and well being. One for your boss who provides employment so you can provide for yourself and your family and one for the friend who is always there to pick you up, and bring a smile to your face.

The list could truly go on and on.

If we would adopt habit of feeling thankful and saying thank you, we might quickly see exactly how much we have to be thankful for.

Living a life filled with gratitude would eliminate so much stress, anger and resentment and ultimately lead to a better life.

I would like to challenge everyone who reads this article to begin the practice of saying thank you.

Encourage others to do the same by inviting them to read this article so that they too can enjoy the good feelings that come from being part of the solution in building a better, kinder, happier America where people say thank you, every day.

For my part, I would like to say thank you to all of my co-workers and to Brent Heise, the Vice President of National HealthCare Services and my boss for his support and belief in me as his employee.

I would also like to thank Barry Arbuckle CEO of MemorialCare Health System for being an inspiration to all of us who are employed by this great organization

To Peter Meckler Director of Government Relations and Policy at MemorialCare Health Systems, thank you for allowing me to adopt you as my mentor.

To the staff of MemorialCare Home Caregivers thank you for all your hard work in making a positive difference in the lives of the elderly and people who are homebound.

To all my friends who are too many to name I say thank you for your friendship and your love.

To my children Marcia, Donna-Marie, Alderine, Steve and Andrea thank you for loving your mother unconditionally, and for the gift of grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Thank you to Anthony and Nina Vultaggio for giving me the opportunity to open up my creative writing ability to the world

And last, but not least, HAPPY THANKSGIVING and thank you to you for reading this article and supporting me in my efforts to make a difference in this world.