Dear Thankful,

Today is your day to take front-and-center. Which is funny, because I thought I saw you do that yesterday. You have that really confounding habit of being at once so unique and too generic, so I can’t really be sure if it was you or not. I mean, I remember a smile…

Regardless, today is your day. And I’m cooking for you; well, me and millions of others. We are glad to do it! (I’ll refrain from mentioning the millions of others that are starving today.) I doubt you’ll be joining me for dinner directly, but that’s fine. It’s the thought that counts.

I’d like to take this day, your day, Thankful, to thank you. For being so optimistic, fun-loving, and cheap. Aside from today’s preparation costs, which are usually needlessly over-the-top, you don’t cost a whole lot to keep around. I mean, you’re just as happy today, with all the extravagance, as you were yesterday. Heck, I could have you over any day, and you’d just be grinning away. Tickled with life. That’s what I love about you.

I mean, that is something much easier said than done. Overlooking any bumps in the road, appreciative that you’re on the road to begin with. Glad simply remembering how you got to where you are. Chuckling, never fretting, at the memories that knocked you down. An attitude like that really enlightens others, too. Thank you for being pleasant.

Let us not, of course, forget your humility. While quick to acknowledge your fortune, your never impose it on others. You never make them feel less successful or less fortunate than you. That kind of humbleness is hard to come by. It’s probably what makes us all keep mimicking you annually.

I could carry on – about your wisdom, your thoughtfulness, your sensitivity, and your own ability to whip up an impressive meal, but I’ll stop here. I can see you’re already inching your way to the door – never one to take all the attention for too long…

I just want to say – thank you, Thankful, for being you. Not just today, but everyday. You’ve really set the bar high for the rest of us, and I could not be more thankful for that.