Sometimes we have to think to give thanks

There are times in life when we feel there is nothing for which to give thanks. Deaths and tragedies cancel good thoughts.
Then you see a baby look at you and smile. And you melt.
A cold or illness saps your strength, then you see a beautiful sunset.
There are times in life when happier times cannot be recalled.
Then the spell is broken by a phone call or letter from an almost forgotten friend.
Our minds sometimes offer only cynicism and ridicule.
Then come the first flowers of spring or the color changes in the fall, and we regale at least for awhile.
We can get down on the world, forgetting to look up or just not wanting to.
Then a child says, ‘I love you . . .? adding mommy, daddy, grandma or grandpa.
We fall into moods. Moods of ‘nothing’s going right.?? ‘Why me?? ‘It isn’t fair!?
Then someone offers a hug, a compliment or kind word, an understanding smile or a dinner invitation and the mood changes. Depression can be our toughest mental foe. You wonder if it will ever end. You go into a shell. You wonder about existence, eating, or even getting out of bed.
Time or perhaps medication or counseling brings you out of this hell, then you hear the birds sing, see puppies and kittens playing or see a pony or fawn frolicking, and you can’t help but feel warmth growing inside.
We oft times forget how great life is, and that there is so much to be thankful for besides being on the right side of the grass.
So, dwell on the good things this Thanksgiving day, and try to dwell on them the next day too.
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Pete Kalohn, bless his culinary heart, sent me a recipe for baked stuffed chicken, which he may or may not have invented. He says its for people who just are not sure how to tell when a chicken is thoroughly cooked, but not dried out.
6-7 lb chicken
1 cup melted butter
1 cup stuffing (Pepperidge Farm is good.)
1 cup uncooked popcorn (Orville Reden-bacher’s low fat)
Salt/pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Brush chicken well with melted butter, salt and pepper. Fill cavity with stuffing and popcorn. Place in baking pan with the neck end toward the back of the oven.
Listen for the popping sounds.
When the chicken’s rear end blows the oven door open and the chicken flies across the room it is done.
And you thought I couldn’t cook.
Pete Kalohn.
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Final Thanksgiving holiday note: Pete Kalohn is not one of those you should necessarily include as one to be thankful for.