Today, I get to leave work a little early for the holiday weekend, which is a good thing because I have a lot to prep for...

• Tonight: Blue Scholars concert
• Tomorrow: Thanksgiving
• Friday: focuspoint concert in Bellingham
• Saturday: Say goodbye to the Green Hornet (better known as my car of the last 7 years); Ozomatli concert
• Sunday: Pick up a new car (hopefully)

I wish everyone a happy Turkey Day. A couple days ago, I read a great editorial by Rev. Patricia Hunter in the Seattle Times about Thanksgiving. I'll leave you with the last half of the article.

"...As I look back over the Thanksgiving meals I have shared with my family, I recognize that the celebrations have changed. Deaths, births, divorces and new significant others make every Thanksgiving different. The first Thanksgiving after the death of a loved one or after a divorce is often hard. It is natural to grieve the one whose face and laughter are missing from the family table. But my experience is that grief eases in time and eventually joy returns around the Thanksgiving table.

The real spirit of Thanksgiving encourages us to be thankful when things are not going our way. We may have to coach ourselves to be thankful during relationship challenges, financial problems, job hassles and medical uncertainties. Maybe we need Thanksgiving to remind us that even though there are hard parts of our lives, there are other areas where we are abundantly blessed.

When we are in those hard spaces, we tend to think life is unfair — which is actually true. Life is not fair. We are likely to sulk or focus on the negative when we are not getting our way. Although giving thanks in the midst of challenge is counterintuitive, being thankful works to refocus our energy. The glass is not always half empty. Often, it is half full. We must be grateful for the multitude of things that are going well in our lives, instead of grumbling about the two things that are annoying us.

Many faith traditions remind their followers that we grow as a result of challenges. While we would love to have stress-free lives, that won't happen. Our internal strengths are shaped and developed by how we handle adversity. We can choose to be stuck in anger and resentment, or we can shake the dust off our feet and look for the next adventure.

I am blessed to have a wonderful family, amazing friends and meaningful work. Life is a journey full of surprises — mostly pleasant, but some unpleasant. Through it all and for it all, I give thanks."