What better time to say thanks for than on Thanksgiving Day?

As we gather in our homes with family and friends for the traditional holiday feast, why not take a few moments to count your blessings and give thanks for them?

Here are a few of the blessings that easily come to mind:

•We live in a nation that is blessed with much natural beauty, from majestic snow-capped mountains to lush, green river valleys, from deep inland lakes to sun-bathed beaches and from vibrant cities to peaceful country villages. In what other continent can you find its inhabitants sun-bathing in the south and ice fishing on frozen lakes in the north at the same time?

We live in a nation that has a bountiful supply of food 365 days of the year. No generation of farmers has been more productive that the current one even though the number of farms has been in decline for a number of years. Although they are fewer in number, today’s farmers are growing two and one-half times the amount of food they were producing 30 years ago. This trend not only has made the nation self-sufficient but also has made it a major exporter to nations around the world.

We live in a land of the free and the home of the brave where nothing maters more than to safeguard the personal freedoms we enjoy. That’s why millions of Americans have served in our armed forces and why many made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation. That’s also why millions continue to volunteer to serve in the nation’s military around the world, even though duty calls for many of them to be in harm’s way.

Last, but certainly not least, we live in a community and state where a conservative lifestyle is the rule not the exception, where the rule of law and the rights of its citizens are respected and where the church is considered the place to be on Sunday

No doubt, our blessings are many. Let’s not forget to say a prayer of thanks for them on Thanksgiving Day.

Clif Knight is a staff writer for the Hartselle Enquirer.