“Give thanks 
not just on 
Thanksgiving Day, 
but every day of your life.”  
Catherine Pulsifier 

For the second time in my life, I am in The Bahamas for Thanksgiving Day. The first time was 51 years ago — November 28, 1974. I was twenty years old and had my whole life ahead of me. At that time, Thanksgiving was a holiday which featured football games and an amazing array of food items: turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes with gravy, some form of veggies, and pumpkin pie for dessert. The purpose of the day, to give thanks, was an afterthought for me, if I considered it at all.

Today I’m 71 years old. Most of my life is behind me now. The wisdom I’ve gained through the years allows me to experience Thanksgiving Day 2025 through a very different lens – the lens of gratitude. Yes, the traditional Thanksgiving meal is still a significant part of this day, but it pales in comparison to the absolute joy of focusing on the gratefulness I have in my heart for the many blessings with which I have been blessed in my life.

On this day last year, I was a guest on the Reflections on Living Well podcast, hosted by Broderick Rodell. This year, I have been invited to speak on the topic of gratitude at a meeting of the Kiwanis Club in Nassau. This is a tremendous opportunity for me to share my passion for gratitude here in the Bahamas. This event also provides another way of promoting my most recent book, Through the Lens of Gratitude. How appropriate that this evening’s presentation will be on Thanksgiving Day.

This brief two-week visit to the Bahamas has given me even more for which to be grateful. The gracious hospitality I have experienced everywhere I’ve gone has been a blessing to me. Each day I’m here, I am reminded of why I have such a deep sense of gratitude and appreciation for the people of the Bahamas. Even my visit to a local laundromat yesterday reinforced my belief in the genuine goodness of the Bahamian people.

Happy Thanksgiving!