I was having one of those “discussions” with myself the other day, the kind where you are in an internal debate. There is no one else privy to your conversation; it is merely you talking to you. I’m one of those people whose facial expressions coincide with the dialogue taking place in my head. So, I’m sure that on this particular day anyone who had watched me, as I pushed my shopping cart through Target, would have wondered if I was having an emotional breakdown as I went from scowling to nodding my head to grinning slightly and then back to scowling.

One of the very best things about the holidays is not the calorie-heavy, “guilt-free” food intake, the gifts, the family gatherings, or even the “you have outdone yourself” decorating. It’s the traditions you create for your family and then repeat each year, ensuring lasting memories in the hearts of all you love.

The season of Thanksgiving is a wonderful opportunity to pause from everyday life, reflect, and list the plentiful things for which we are thankful. Many of us can easily fill a piece of paper with items that deserve our gratitude: family, friends, faith, jobs, health, homes, kindness shown in every day. I’m capable of getting on a thankful roll, adding a comfortable couch, a clean house, a new hair color, or a great pair of new boots. The reality is that we have much to be grateful for.

Thanksgiving became a national holiday at the height of the Civil War … a most unlikely time to set a day aside for reflection and proclamation of one’s thankfulness. Yet President Abraham Lincoln did exactly that. Indeed, he was a brave man to declare this celebration in a season that seemed to have very little to be thankful for.

With the holidays upon us, we’re bound to have a house guest or two. I have a theme I repeat to my guests that I sincerely mean, “My home is your home.” Since that is true, these are the house rules for all who walk through our door with luggage in hand: