It's easy to be thankful

By Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Barry M. White, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall ChaplainNovember 24, 2009

FORT MEYER, Va. - What is it about turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, nuts, ham, pumpkin or apple pie and . . . well, you know where I'm going with this, right'

Why are these and many other traditional foods so great at Thanksgiving' What is it about Thanksgiving that makes us feel so good'

I am probably like most of you out there in that I love Thanksgiving Day. I love being with family and friends; I love all that great food to eat; I love football on TV and all the activities of the entire holiday weekend. I'm going to enjoy it even more once I'm retired and back home with family again after 22 years of being away.

But I must say that I'm thankful for the friends, co-workers and acquaintances that I have right here in the D.C. area. I'm thankful that I have a wonderful wife of 33 years. I'm thankful for my two great dogs. I'm thankful for my two sons and their wives and our grandson, Landon; my sister and brother too and all my in-laws.

I'm thankful that I got to be a cop and state wildlife officer back in Florida. I'm thankful for the opportunity to serve my country as a chaplain and before that as a Sailor in the Navy. I'm thankful for my congregation at Memorial Chapel and all the wonderful people who attend.

I'm thankful for my staff and all the contractors and volunteers who help us have successful ministries. I'm thankful for all the JBM-HH directors and all the civilian employees who work on Fort Myer, Fort McNair and Henderson Hall.

It's so easy to be thankful, don't you think' I believe it's easier to be thankful than it is to complain about the things around and in our lives. And besides, being thankful is much healthier for you than to complain about everything.

But, I've known people who were just like that and they were always miserable. Being thankful is an attitude, and we can choose which we'd rather be: a thankful person or a complainer! Which are you choosing to be'

I hope this Thanksgiving season you can strive to be the thankful person. You'll certainly feel better for it.

Remember the words of the Psalmist when he said in Psalm 100, "Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."

May we all enter the gates of His spiritual temple this holiday season with a thankful heart! Happy Thanksgiving!