As we watch our televisions daily we see horrific stories of devastation-both from nature and manmade. We see stories of those who have lost their lives due to terrorist bombings, not only in Paris, but around the globe. We see our own police officers constantly targeted and attacked and we see an increase in homeless in our country and worldwide. We see veterans who have served our nation with honor attempting to deal with any number of issues they face due to that service and we see our government and our citizens turning a blind eye to their needs. We see millions of babies aborted; children suffering from hunger and disease and the list goes on. We see a citizenry filled with “it’s all about me” attitudes and an upcoming generation with little to no work ethic or understanding of personal responsibility.

What we need to see in our country and in our world is a move toward seeing everything in our lives as a gift-a gift we could lose at any second. It can (and may well soon) be our own streets that are bombed and destroyed. It can be our friends and neighbors who are attacked or killed.

We need to begin to not take everything we have for granted and, even worse, to expect so much in our lives. We need to become a more humble and thankful people taking pleasure in the small things in life. We need to share time with our families and friends-not through social media or email and text. We need to talk, eat together, spend time enjoying each other and being thankful for the opportunity we have to do so.

We need to reach out to those less fortunate than ourselves and help lift them up. We need to differentiate between a “hand up” and a “hand out.” We give so much more to any that we help with the “hand up.” And by offering that assistance not as an entitlement but as a way to build one up, we then show our children and everyone else that everyone needs a little help sometimes but everyone needs to help themselves as well.

We have so much, but we are such an ungrateful people. Take time this Thanksgiving season to recognize all that you have. Figure out a way to share that wealth with others-whether in word or deed-and become a role model for others who can then share their own gifts or talents as well. Be thankful that you have those gifts and talents to share and realize they often mean so much more than any material item.