The Thanksgiving season has passed and Christmas is on the way. But what or who are we expressing our thanks to

It seems odd that many who celebrate these holidays don’t believe in God, and many of those who do claim a belief in him conduct their lives in opposition to even the basic scriptures he has provided for instruction.

How can a person can be thankful to something they do not follow or believe does not exist Nevertheless, Thanksgiving, a Christian-based holiday celebrating and giving thanks to God for the successful foundation of the first colony of Europeans on this continent, has come and gone.

I have many things to be thankful for. Chief among them is that God granted me life.

I am also thankful my creator designed a plan whereby I, a seed of Abraham, could one day find permanent refuge with him for eternity.

I am thankful I was born to parents who felt it was much better to have and raise their son, rather than abort him because it would be too expensive and raising me might get in the way of them achieving their desired goals and standards of living.

I am thankful to have been born in a country where freedom of speech and the practicing of religion are allowed. I may worship my God as I desire and make comments regarding how our country is being managed without having to suffer the fate of being jailed or killed because of my beliefs and comments.

I am thankful to have been born in a country that is not poor. I didn’t have to suffer as a child, wondering where my next meal would come from, where to find clean water or a shelter from the elements.

I am thankful that God, through my parents and family members, provided me an education. This allowed me to find gainful employment, enabling me to create a home for my family.

I am thankful for my children and the grandchildren they provide me. I am also thankful I was instrumental in their belief that it is better to raise a child than to destroy it because of their financial state and aspirations. My granddaughter, Natalie Isabel Rose Hardesty-Castaneda, was born last week, so this one is one I am really thankful for.

I am thankful God gave me wisdom, enabling me to sift through information in order to make the best decisions possible. This allows me to see past the hype and glitter of various offers and determine what a bad deal is and what is not.

I am thankful for my friends, they are very important to me. Without them and their encouragement and admonishment, I would be very lost and lonely.

I am thankful for my enemies. They keep me on my toes and actually offer me a chance to transform them into friends.

I am thankful for animals, our pets and the people who concern themselves for their well-being. They provide us love and endless hours of companionship.

I am thankful for the people who actively participate in managing our country and cities. I don’t always agree with them but am thankful for their desire to do what is best for our people. Isn’t it great we can have free elections without all the violence we see when other nations go through the selection processes of determining their government leaders

I am thankful there are so many things to list here to be thankful for.

It is my strongest desire and prayer that each of you reading this has determined at least one thing to be thankful for. Please take a moment out of your busy days to stop and be thankful for all of the blessings that have been bestowed upon your lives without your asking. We have so many things for which to be thankful, even in our infirmities, if we would just take a moment to think about them.

So as we exit the Thanksgiving season and embark upon the Christmas season, it is my prayer that each of you will continue to receive the blessings that have been bestowed upon you and that you can take the time to thank the person responsible for bestowing them upon you.

I sincerely hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day and wish all of you a joyous Christmas with all of its blessings.

Dave Hardesty, a satellite communications engineer, is among a select group of local residents rotating their columns in the Saturday Tracy Press.