Monday Mornings With Sheryl Crow

Bleary-eyed, I plopped into my car this morning. Routine has an unassuming way of displacing motivation. I was about to turn the ignition over and make the short trek to work, just like every other Monday. Thanksgiving will be here in few days and sometimes I feel like I have nothing to write that would be even remotely festive.

But then, just as all all hope was abandoning me and as I was ready to resign myself to a fruitless and unproductive morning, Sheryl Crow came on the radio and saved my hide. As I was struggling to invent some Thanksgiving inspiration, a line from her song graced my vehicle and planted itself in my brain. My biggest fear was that I would forget the words or mess them up before I arrived at my desk.

If that happens, then this entire blog takes an entirely different turn and might end up being a hostile barb toward Lance Armstrong. You see, I do do not have the best short-term memory and while I drove the legal speed limit the rest of the way to work, I kept mumbling the lyrics over and over with devout repition. I would not allow stoplights nor railroad crossings to rob me of this idea!

"It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got."

Thanks, Sheryl.

This short, but powerful line summed up everything I wanted to day but lacked the ability to produce. As Thanksgiving hovers right on our doorstep, this is the sentiment I would like to embody not just for the day, but for the rest of my life. Wanting what I have is the definition of gratitude.

It is so easy to look outside our home, neighborhood, and zip code and desire the life or possessions of others. But am I able to find contentment with what I have? Have I the ability to look squarely upon my own circumstances and find the grace to accept and applaud what I have collected over the years? If I can, Thanksgiving evolves from an event to a lifestyle. There will always be people who have more (and less) than I have. And while it is fine and dandy to want to improve my situation, that improvement should not be done at the expense of gratitude.

So, this Thanksgiving, please look around and count the blessings you do have. I promise they are there if you just take inventory of what you have rather than longing for what you don't.

On behalf of Samaritan House, please have a happy and safe Thanksgiving.