Give thanks with a grateful heart

This will be a bit of an unusual Thanksgiving.

While Christmas is awesome and Easter is a splendid weekend, Thanksgiving is as good as it gets.

While “F” has the connotation of failure, the letter stands for a host of positives today.

First, there is the family.

We will spend some time with family today though that time will be cut short as it will be time to get to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to work as the New Orleans Saints face the Atlanta Falcons. Though it would be preferable to not have an NFL game on this day, we are grateful to have some time together and it is great for the Saints to have an opportunity to play on national television at home, something Sean Payton wanted.

Then, there is the food.

My wonderful wife and her mother will have prepared a feast of massive calories. Inevitably, those calories will find my waistline but I will be smiling all the way. I will reminisce about my late mother and the feasts she prepared annually.

There is fortune.

I have the good fortune to have enjoyed a life with wonderful parents, special siblings, a fantastic wife and two great children. Who could ask for anything more?

Do not forget about future.

Holidays are always a time to reflect on the past, to enjoy the present and to ponder the future. Regardless of age, ponder what can be, rather than what could have been. See the light so that when the sun comes up tomorrow, your disposition will be sunny as well.

We are grateful for friends.

It has been a blessing to have wonderful friends who remain in that realm in my life since youth. There are the friends from school, from the playground, from church, from sports, from the workplace. All have been a significant part of my life. Thanks to those who make CrescentCitySports.com, WGSO and The Saints Hall of Fame possible, including Jude Young, Lenny Vangilder, David Grubb, Rene Nadeau, Les East, Ed Daniels, Al Dupuy, Emmanuel Pepis, Ro Brown, Rudy Dixon, B.J. Rust, Darrell Ashley, Matt Sims, Jordan Liuzza, Denise Trahan, Charlene Hibbs, Dean Courtade, Michael C. Hebert and Jay Romig, among others.

Finally, there is the football.

Saints fans are giving thanks for a terrific team and a special season. There is genuine hope to be playing in Atlanta in February and a realistic shot at winning a second Super Bowl championship, as I boldly predicted on radio and on WDSU TV with Fletcher Mackel prior to the season. Folks were laughing at me following the season opening loss to Tampa Bay. Hopefully, the Saints will have the last laugh.

As a man of faith, I always gravitate to songs, great hymns of our lifetime. Henry Smith wrote a wonderful song called “Give Thanks.” I love the lyric and message.

We are to give thanks with a grateful heart. The weak can be strong, the poor can be rich because of what the Lord has done and will do for us. Thank you to all for your support of CrescentCitySports.com.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. May the Lord truly bless you!