To be thankful cannot be limited to one day a year, just as our blessings do not happen only once a year. Everyday we receive many blessings, some of which we are not even aware of, like the air we breathe and the water we drink. Some blessings are continual and unmerited, like salvation and sharing in the life of God. But all blessings come from the hand of God as a sign of his unconditional love for us. Gratitude is the most basic response on our part. But this gratitude is to be accompanied with a life lived in relationship with God if it is to be sincere. What good is it to receive forgiveness of my sins, only to intentionally return to sin? Gratitude is expressed not in word alone but in a way of life. On the other hand, what does a lack of gratitude say about us and to the one who blessed us? Do we have a truly grateful heart or an ungrateful one each day? In all things and for all things and at all times, give thanks.