UNITED STATES—For so many people, Thanksgiving is a special day, one where it’s all about family and food, however, there are plenty of people out there who don’t have that luxury. There are those who have lost loved ones, those just struggling to make ends meet, those choosing between putting food on the table versus paying the light or gas bill.

I love this time of year because I sense we get to see the best in people. The giving spirit or heart becomes so massive for a lot of people. My only issue is I wish that this contagious energy was more prevalent during the entire year, not just during the months of November and December for most people. For many of us, we’re not even thinking that much about Thanksgiving. Most know where we will eat and what we are eating; however, there are plenty of Americans out there who don’t know where there next meal is coming from, not to mention if they’ll even have a mean for Thanksgiving Day.

As Americans some of us are not that appreciative to the things that we actually have. I mean the stuff that I sometimes complain about and the stuff that I hear other people complain about disgust me at times. My life is not that bad, the things I’m stressing about are not that serious. They’re silly things to say the least and minimal compared to those who have no place to call home, those who have been displaced or lost everything as a result of the California wildfires, I have a job, I have family, I have friends, I have the things I need in life to be happy.

I should be extra thankful for all those things because with the snap of a finger they could vanish right before my eyes without so much as a second thought to begin with. I mean I know people who have virtually lost their entire family, and yet their spirits are higher than mines at times. I feel more compassion for people as I get older, but at the same time the perspective of what matters in life and what is fodder is more focused for me. So as you gather around the table with family, friends, co-workers or those closet to you this Thanksgiving holiday, don’t forget to be thankful. Don’t focus your attention so much on the materialistic things. Focus on the small things, the things that actually matter and have a bigger impact on your life than you actually think they do.