Before anyone calls me out on it, I know Phantom Screens is a Canadian company. And yes, here in Canada we have Thanksgiving in October. But that aside, I want to wish all our customers, distributors, friends and neighbors in the US a very Happy Thanksgiving!
I love Thanksgiving. Not just for the turkey and trimmings or the fun and the family – or even the football. (Actually the last bit about football isn’t true if I’m being honest.) I love it because it’s the time of year when we get to stop – just for a moment – and reflect on how much we have to be thankful for. I don’t want to sound cheesy or clichéd, but I do actually really enjoy being able to pause and, for want of a better phrase, count our blessings.
Life can sure chuck some curve balls at us. You only have to look at the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Sandy or some of the random acts of violence in both our countries. It’s tough. Life can be hard. And that’s true in business too. We’ve faced some pretty difficult times in recent years – but we’ve survived. So despite the days when hope is far from our minds and the everyday grind gets us down, we DO have much to be thankful for.
One of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions as a child was getting to fight over the turkey’s wishbone with my siblings. It’s funny how the little bone of a bird can cause quite such a noise – but it did! And if I was the one that got the “lucky break” and ended up with the long end, my wish was always that my horse and I would end up as champion rodeo stars. Sadly, that never happened – but a girl could dream!
But you know, as you get older you realize that lucky breaks and wishing for things don’t actually change your life – or the lives of anyone else. You only have to remember that old saying: “if wishes were fishes, the sea would be full!” There’s way more to life than luck. How you respond to adversity and how you choose your path in life are what makes the difference. From my perspective, and looking back at our years in business I can see how God has guided our path. And yes, that makes me incredibly thankful.
Everyone at Phantom Screens knows that one of my favorite hymns is the wonderful Great is Thy Faithfulness. I love it because it truly expresses my belief that through all the ups and downs of life, God is there for us. And for thanksgiving it means that I am so grateful for the fact that we have: “Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside.”
So whatever you’re facing, and however you’re feeling, I wish everyone a really Happy Thanksgiving.