perpetual thanksgiving

In a letter to a Mr. B in the winter of 1836, Henry David Thoreau wrote: “I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual.”

Thanksgiving is a day dedicated to giving thanks for all the blessings we have in our life. Even this year, the first in nearly a decade when I will not be able to spend the day with my family, there is much to be grateful and thankful for. That gratitude, however, cannot be confined to a single day, though a reminder is always welcome. As Thoreau wrote, my thanksgiving, too, is perpetual.

Wishing a healthy and happy holiday season to everyone. I am hopeful for what comes next and grateful for what has passed. It is all part of what makes this life so magical and so worth living.

I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual. It is surprising how contented one can be with nothing definite - only a sense of existence. Well, anything for variety. I am ready to try this for the next ten thousand years, and exhaust it. How sweet to think of! my extremities well charred, and my intellectual part too, so that there is no danger of worm or rot for a long while. My breath is sweet to me. O how I laugh when I think of my vague indefinite riches. No run on my bank can drain it, for my wealth is not possession but enjoyment.

— Henry David Thoreau