That time has come, dear readers, the time of turkey, ham, gravy, potatoes (mashed and otherwise), stuffing, rolls, pie, cake, ice cream, corn and plenty of other items I cannot think of at the moment. A time of remembrance and humility. A time to stop and consider how blessed we truly are.

I write this both wishing you all the greatest of Thanksgivings but also to remind you that joy/thanksgiving should not only be made on a random date in November that your calendar has highlighted. Too often do I speak to people who frequently forget their blessings in favor of recalling all the bad times throughout the course of their lives or all of the misfortunes they have been given recently.

People--stop for a moment. Take a long, deep breath. Do it again if you must. Listen to Blake Fought, here. Ready? Ok, think of 10 blessings you have in your life. C'mon, I know this may be hard for some of you but just take a moment to think about the blessings the Lord has provided for you recently. For some of you, they may be small. Others, they may be huge. It could be a mixture of the two for some. Whatever the blessings are, remember that we all receive them in different shapes, sizes and at different times.

... (I'll give you a moment to think.) ...

So many of us find the need to point out the negative that sometimes we ignore the positives. We need to do the opposite-- to see the rays of light piercing through the storm clouds, instead of the storm itself.

For me, I don't think a day has gone by recently where haven't thanked to the Lord for being alive when I could have been dead a handful of times earlier in my life. I have such an amazing girlfriend, family and collection of friends who are there for me when I need them (and visa versa). I work for a respectable newspaper with The Tartan, am involved with an incredible Christian fellowship here at Radford University in Chi Alpha Campus Ministries (where I have met so many friends and continue to meet new ones frequently) and am doing well in my classes. (Unfortunately, I am a commuter student, but) I get to go to one of the most beautiful campuses in the state of Virginia. (Virginia Tech folks, please don't pull the limestone argument with me--I find it to be such a disgusting-looking stone.)

I know that some of you may have read this and passed it off as commonplace for you. Think about it, though--how many times have you taken the extra minute to think about what is good in your life? Think of yourself as a geode--beyond the dull, gray exterior is a spectacular cornucopia of color. But if you take that extra effort to look beyond the dullness, there is a splendid scene inside to marvel at.

I just ask that you make the effort to actually look.

I wish you all the happiest of Thanksgivings and a safe return back to RU this weekend.

Photo Credit: Blake Fought