I looked at my calendar the other day, and it was difficult to believe it was already time to write a Thanksgiving column. As we tend to say at this time of the year, “Where did the time go?” Why it seems as if I was just writing a Thanksgiving column! Could 12 months have passed so quickly?

Nevertheless, Thanksgiving is this Thursday, and while I spend a good share of my life wishing I could turn back the clock (for a variety of reasons), I will do what I always do — I’ll buy that turkey, make a grocery list, spend an inordinate amount of time cooking, graciously welcome our guests, serve dinner, laugh and chat throughout the day, do a crazy amount of dishes ... and collapse into the recliner, reminding myself it will be 12 months before I need to do it all again. Ta-da! Thanksgiving in a nutshell.

While it seems like an enormous amount of work goes into a meal that is consumed in less than 30 minutes, it’s not a big deal, and any complaining I do about it — well, I try to keep it to a minimum. After all, I’m very lucky; I’m very happy; and I’m very thankful. Putting a Thanksgiving meal on the table is relatively simple compared to many things I’ve gone through in my life.