The Thanksgiving holiday is almost upon us and as I pause to consider all that I am thankful for, I realize that thanksgiving is relative. No, I don't mean those people in your family that you don't see very often, - maybe only once a year at Thanksgiving. Although many people are thankful for the opportunity to visit with those relatives (or maybe thankful that they only see them once a year!) No, what I mean is what you are thankful for is relative to your circumstances.

For me, I am thankful for my family and our good health. I am thankful for my business and my clients and associates. I am thankful for our friends and neighbors who are friends too! And I am thankful for this wonderful country into which I was fortunate enough to have been born.

However, as I consider others' circumstances, I find other things to be thankful for. Recently I heard a story on NPR which has really stuck with me. It was about a woman who has been living in a Haitian refugee camp since the earthquake. She was pregnant at the time of the quake which killed her fiancee and destroyed their home and all their possessions. Her parents refused to take her in since she had become pregnant before marriage. Today she has a young infant to feed and no job. Her tent in the camp contains only a small pile of clothes, and a makeshift bed of plywood and two blankets. She only breastfeeds her baby and is completely dependent on the charity of her neighbors for food for herself. I'm sure the thankfulness she feels toward those people tremendously outweighs my thankfulness even though I have so much more to be thankful for.

Considering her circumstances, I realize I should remember to be thankful for the things that many Americans take for granted every day. For the clean water that flows out of my faucet whenever I turn it on. For my warm bed and sturdy house. For the electricity that works at the flip of a switch. For the ability to walk into a grocery store (or restaurant) and buy food whenever I am hungry. For the education of my children. Thankfully, the list goes on and on.