Today is Canadian Thanksgiving, or  maybe it was yesterday, I'm never quite sure which. Today is the day off, though. 

Sure, madcelt has a point that our holiday lacks the "Pilgrims and Indians" tradition, and thus is a somewhat pale copyof the American version. Gotta disagree though about the suggestion that the late November American holiday is superior in launching a "holiday season". Maybe I'm just a grinch and think that Christmas shouldn't start too soon, but I have another reason as well.

 By celebrating Thanksgiving the second Monday in October, Canadians enjoy a true harvest festival. This is a tradition of its own which anthropologists tell us far predates Christianity, and spans many cultures. Humans have long thanked their deities for a bountiful crop, and the promise of food to put aside to survive a long and harsh winter. And in Canada, winter is all that. 

Just  as I typed that, I had an epiphany. All weekend, I've been bothered by the importation of Thanksgiving into religious worship, at least in Canada. Our service yesterday was themed all around giving thanks, and it seemed off key. Now I see that this is simply a continuation of what Northrop Frye (himself a minister before becoming an academic) might call an archetype - an expression of an ur-myth, common to what makes us human. 

In honour of our collective humanity, I  now share  10 Things I am Thankful For:

1. My sons - regular readers will not be surprised by this one.
2. Good health- and the Canadian health care system - not perfect, but there when I really need it, at no cost, and no denial of pre-existing conditions.
3. Good Friends, even though on OS, we're "favorites" now.
4. Just waking up to enjoy THIS day- living in the moment
5. The sunrise. Glorious today. I drove to work, to sneak in a quiet hour. When I got there, the sun was making the river glow.
6. A future full of possibilities- a key to choosing to be happy is realizing that though living in the moment is important, the future could even be better.
7. The memories that deserve to be cherished. Not one to dwell on nostalgia, but certain moments past bring a smile to my face.
8. Good food. A bountiful harvest, somewhere, and all my material needs satisfied. I come from a farm tradition, and have my own little crop of tomatoes, but pause to reflect on this good fortune, the plenty I enjoy which others may not.
9. Living in God's Country. Fresh air, clean water, nature outside my door, and real seasons...
10. Being Loved, well if not for long, at least three times. Which leaves the hope for more.