“Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.”

~ Aesop

As the father of three I love telling Aesop’s Fables to my children. One such story is the simple yarn entitled “The Dog and His Reflection.”

The story goes that a dog with a bone in his mouth was crossing a bridge. When he looked into the still water below he saw his reflection. Thinking that another dog had a bone, he growled and then tried to take the bone away from the other dog, only to have his own fall into the water.

It is a simple lesson on the folly of envy and greed. Envy and greed are polar opposites of the Thanksgiving virtues of joy and gratitude.

Thanksgiving reminds us to express gratitude in our daily lives by giving thanks for what we have and moreover to rejoice in the good fortune of others. Indeed, one sign of spiritual maturity, according to the Apostle Paul, is the ability to “rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.”

Whether rich or poor, young or old, vigorous or lacking in strength and health, this national holiday reminds us all to be grateful for what we have and to not be envious of others, or greedy in our desire for more and more “stuff.”

May your Thanksgiving be marked by gratitude and joy.

Thank you for your service and sacrifice.