Someone has said that Thanksgiving is a traditional American holiday where Families all over the United States sit for dinner at the same time—halftime.

Someone else has written a little essay that goes like this:

This Thanksgiving I'm thankful . . . That I'm not a turkey . . . That there are only twenty four hours available each day for TV programming . . . That there aren't twice as many Congressmen and half as many doctors . . . That teenagers ultimately will have children who will become teenagers . . . That the space available for messages on T shirts and bumpers is limited . . . That snow covers unraked leaves . . . That hugs and kisses don't add weight or cause cancer . . . That DVDs and radios and TV sets and washers and mixers and lights can be turned off . . . That no one can turn off the moon and stars.

You and I can make our own list of things for which we are grateful, but it is important that we make that list.

Thanksgiving is ultimately a day for remembering our dependence on God. Someone has called Thanksgiving the most dangerous of all holidays. Not because we will overeat—not because we will have an accident driving home from Grandma's—but because we will view our prosperity, our good life, our blessings, as something we have gained at our own hands.

There is so much in life over which we have no control. We need to admit that. We did not control where we were born or when. We could just have easily been born in Myanmar or in the areas of China that were decimated this year by the earthquake. We could have been born in Afghanistan or Iraq or some other region where we might have to spend our days dodging bombs. There are thousands of places we could have been born rather than this free, prosperous land.

We have no control over such things, and yet they helped determine our destiny.

Finally, Gratitude doesn't depend on what you have in your bank account, but what you have in your heart.

This is one of the great ironies of life. We think that "things" will make us happy. But some of the wealthiest people in the world—surrounded by things—are miserable. Meanwhile some of the poorest people on earth say "Thank you" to God each day.

What do you have in your heart? Your happiness is directly proportional to your ability to be grateful. Don't forget God this day. Everything you are and hope to be you owe to God.