Thanksgiving marks the first celebration of what could well be called family season. Nothing brings families together as surely as the Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations and in between, most of us spend a great deal of our time thinking about, planning for and carrying out plans to buy gifts for those we really care about. The holiday season cements family ties in very special ways. It is a time remembering. of being together and above all for sharing. And in this land of liberty and peace, there’s much to be thankful for, much to praise and much to reflect on. We are living in a time of unparalleled peace and prosperity. There is no sense that we are girding for major conflict. There is no real threat to the peace. Theres no doubt that there is great hardship for many faced with major economic challenges and there’s little doubt that we live in a dangerous world, but theres little reason for a feeling of deep paranoia. We live in a time when we can give thanks for much when we can celebrate peacefully with our families and celebrate all good things. For a day. or even for the entire holiday season, there’s no crime in setting our burdens aside for awhile. Thanksgiving is a time to begin the process of renewal and regeneration of spirit possible if we will call upon the best that’s in each of us. We should first give thanks to the Creator for all that we have, then we should tell our families how much we appreciate them. Beyond that, we should look to our extended family. our neighbors, the people we work with and the community at large and make appropriate expressions of thanks. Again this year, United Way will be coordinating the sub for Santa program. and all of us should get involved in some way to make a visible expression of our charity. Thanksgiving Day brings us into the most heart warming and character building time of the whole year, into family season. when we can all make this world a better place by emphasizing our brotherhood and sense of family with all of God’s children.