A Thanksgiving Toast
(Daniel E. Kramer)

Together we sit at a table in a barn that is 125 years old.  We eat from the earth and feel the warmth of our surroundings, and we are grateful to be alive and together at this moment.

We sit under a stunning fall light with memories of years past moving through our minds, of family members, laughter, youth, and those that are now gone.

We sit here as a family with new memories being made, with new youthful vigor swirling around us at every turn. 

Together as a family we enjoy this day and give thanks.  What are we thankful for on this day?

Each other, one another, and all that make up this beautiful world.

Sometimes, and in places deep inside we all have a thorough understanding of what we each are thankful and grateful for.  It isn’t always so easy to see, but when we take the time to spend just one day…just one afternoon together we begin to see what it is that we all have and share amongst us all.

Contemplation at this moment and all of our shared moments is something we can be grateful for.

Appreciation for our fellow humankind is something we can be grateful for.

Love and friendship among all of us, our friends, their friends, and on and on are something we can be thankful.

We are truly blessed today, and I am thankful for this moment with all of you.