If you've ever watched the classic Christmas movie "White Christmas," you're probably familiar with the following song:

In it, Bing Crosby sings about the importance of counting blessings, which is something we've supposedly been doing the past few days during Thanksgiving. So what are you thankful for? The usual answers include family, friends, health, happiness, and food. Thanksgiving is the time in the year when you're expected to think about all of the things that you have, all of the blessings you have, and to be thankful for them.

But why are we only thankful during Thanksgiving? I'll freely admit that I rarely think about all the blessings in my life if I'm not forced to do so by the smell of turkey wafting through my house. But what is it about our society that we don't take time to think about our blessings except for during a holiday specially designed to make us think about all the good things in our lives. Are we not as blessed when it's not Thanksgiving? No! That's a ridiculous thing to think. Yet, when I reflected on the idea of giving thanks, it really hit me that I've been so blessed in my life in so many ways, but I rarely take the time to be thankful for everything I have.

So here's my proposal: be thankful for what you have year-round, not just after stuffing your face with some of the best food you'll eat all year. Think about the goodness in your life in February when the snow is still falling, despite your hopes for an early spring. Think about your blessings in June when you're relaxing after a long year at school. Think about it in August as you prepare to return to school. Think about it in October when you're stressing about Midterms. And yeah, think about it during Thanksgiving and Christmas when you're most reminded to do so. But make it a habit to stop and think about all the good things in your life all year, not just one thanks giving marathon in November.