Tomorrow in the United States we will be celebrating Thanksgiving. This is a time where traditionally family and friends will gather to watch football, eat turkey and splurge on desserts.

It is a time of being together and being thankful. It is difficult to not wonder what that very first Thanksgiving was like. Back in 1621 when a handful of Pilgrims (53) managed to survive what was a successful harvest, they came together with many American Indians to give thanks to God.

While as a nation we cannot literally come together at a table to give thanks, I think in our collective souls we can. We can set aside at least one day where we don’t think about politics, party lines, racial profiling or pat-downs at the airport. Instead, we give thanks to God (or whoever you choose to give allegiance to) and remember that we have an abundance of blessings.

You see, we tend to think of abundance when it comes to Thanksgiving. We prepare and eat an abundance of food. Yet we have an abundance of blessings to also pay attention to. We live in a free land where we are allowed to form opinions and follow our beliefs.

We have an abundance of choices at our disposal. We are an abundant people, a melting pot of different colors, sizes and cultures. We have an abundance of men and women who, while we sit comfortably in our recliner after stuffing ourselves with food, are in military gear fighting for the freedoms we have.

We have an abundance of agents patrolling our country and protecting our borders. We have an abundance of police keeping our cities and towns safe.

We have an abundance of television shows that we can turn on, able to watch anything from a documentary to the Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade. We will even have an abundance of stores open on Thanksgiving, should we choose to do some early Christmas shopping.

We are an abundant nation and we have much to be thankful for. Sometimes in the midst of our disagreements and taking of sides, we forget that. We are so busy fighting to be right, to be heard that we lose sight of what is really important.

My hope is that your family will enjoy an abundant Thanksgiving but not one that is solely about the food. Take time to be thankful for this country, for those who run it and make it what it is. Be thankful for our abundant freedom!