It’s fitting that family would be our topic for today’s Point. I wish I could tell you that when I started this series in October, I planned on having family be the topic during Thanksgiving week. Well, quite honestly, I didn’t, but it certainly is appropriate. So I’ll go with it and be thankful.

Growing up in Macon, Georgia, Thanksgiving was a day to enjoy the family I loved. Thanksgiving was a fairly simple time for us because no relative lived close enough to come visit during the holiday. Of course, it also was an opportunity to over-eat, watch football and then complain about how much we’d eaten at lunch, only to fix a large turkey sandwich three hours later and eat it while sitting on the sofa watching yet another football game.

Games and sandwiches aside, we, like most folks, considered Thanksgiving to be a time for togetherness. Sometimes that’s a mixed blessing. This holiday can mean all-day trips to enjoy one (or more!) Thanksgiving dinners in a single day. Many people find themselves going to “her parent’s home” for lunch and “his parent’s home” for dinner. Throw in stepdaughters and stepparents, and you have a whole other layer of obligations. Unfortunately, today, Thanksgiving has become, for many, a complicated, stressful situation. It can involve multiple weeks of planning, “hostage-like negotiations” and an itinerary more complicated than that of a foreign dignitary in D.C. for a one-day visit.

All that said, I challenge you to have fun and appreciate the people you’re celebrating with. Be thankful for them! Yes, they can drive you crazy, they might say things that shouldn’t be said, and they can bring out the little, dark angel in the best of us, but if you’re celebrating with them, there must be a good reason to be there.

The minister at our Catholic church recently spoke about “What it Takes to be a Saint.” His 7 steps included:

• Love Thy Neighbor;
• Humility;
• Prayer;
• Forgiving Other People;
• Sacrificing.
• Always Try (to be a saint.)

His very first step was Absolute Love of God. (Now that’s fodder for a happy holiday.)

I guess it’s not too far off the mark to suggest that Thanksgiving can be an opportunity for each of us to give sainthood a shot. Just remember the prayer part (and try counting to 10 before you answer a difficult relative’s questions or reply to their remarks).

It’s Thanksgiving, and most of us will spend at least part of the holiday with family and friends. Make the most of this time; forget past Thanksgivings that might not have been all they could be. Forgive any transgressions others might have brought to the table. Appreciate (really appreciate) your family and friends. Enjoy them. If it’s been a rough road for you so far, choose a smoother path. And if it’s been a great run, appreciate that fact.