Every year in October and in November countries in North America and Europe have a special holiday called Thanksgiving. This is a time to be grateful and to keep gratitude in your heart.

I like this holiday and it gives me a chance to remember the many things that I am thankful about. I want to share my list of things to be thankful for and I maybe you have many of the same things.

Let’s talk about gratitude and being thankful.

I’m grateful for good health. I am happy to be healthy. Every day I want to remember that many people are not healthy.

I am grateful for my family. I am lucky to have a great family. I have a great partner and some good kids too. I am thankful for my family.

I am grateful for good friends. Good friends are treasure for life. I hope that you have good friends too.

I am grateful for freedom to say anything. Many countries, like China and North Korea are dangerous places to say what you think. We should remember that we have the freedom to speak.

I am grateful for holidays and days off.

I am grateful for pets. We have two dogs and they are full of love and good fun.

I am grateful for education. I could go to university and study. I hope everyone hearing these words will go to university too. Education is a gift that changes your whole life.

I am grateful for a home to live in. There are many homeless people around the world. I am grateful for a warm and safe place to live.

I am grateful for clean air and clean water. We need to keep our environment clean so that our lives can be good and health.

I am grateful for laughter and comedy and good jokes. Every time I can laugh I feel like I am a lucky person to be so happy and enjoying a good moment with friends.

I am grateful for cars, buses, trains, and airplanes. We can see the whole world because of these important things.

I am grateful for computers and cell phones. We have incredible technology in our hands to get information to be connected to other people. It is an incredible thing to support our lives.

I am grateful for books, and newspapers, and magazines. Reading and learning is a wonderful way to spend time and to grow the mind.

I am grateful for trouble and hard times. I don’t want hard times always but a hard time and a rough experience teaches me some important things. I am grateful when trouble comes, and also when it goes away too.

I am grateful for art and music and dance. The beauty of art is food for the human heart, and the human soul. We can enjoy and explore deep expression and experiences through art.

I am grateful for warm clothes, electricity, medicine, vaccines, hiking in a forest, delicious snacks, coffee, the changing seasons, and for peace in our lives. All of these are important things.

Lastly, I am grateful for you dear Otemae students. I am grateful to see you each time I come to your school. I am grateful for your teachers who guide you, for Kyoto-Sensei and Koucho-Sensei and for the Kurata family who lead you. We are lucky to be in this place together on this day.

Being grateful for life and the people around us is an important part of growing up. We learn how to love others and treasure our lives with gratitude.

So, if you are having a hard day today, please remember that there are people who need you, who love you, and who are grateful for you.

Thank you very much for today, and for all the days we can talk together.