Thanksgiving. A day much like Christmas, which gets gobbled up (pun intended) by travel, business and retail obsessions. Yet at its core, is the simple premise — let us set aside one special day to pause and give thanks.

My memories of Thanksgiving sit among my favorites. Family, food, laughter — perhaps the three strongest ingredients in the world! My mother, rest her soul, prepared a perfect turkey. (This was not entirely shocking, because she could roast a shoe and it would be delicious!) Her stuffing was the best, and I am still trying to recreate it. Of course, I would round out the day with as many sides and pieces of pie I could shoehorn down my gullet.

Hans, my late grandfather, always offered the prayer for Thanksgiving.  I remember him using words like bounty and richness.  It took me a long time to understand his words because we were certainly not a family of financial bounty.  So what could it be?

He recognized, as a penniless immigrant, the liberties offered by our great nation. The chance to work hard, prosper and do good things for people. The freedom to worship as our spirits directed us. The opportunity to get a free education, and to attend university, no matter what rank in society we came from.

Tomorrow, I will give thanks for all these things, and I will give thanks to the men and women who work for Wolverine. I will give thanks for the opportunity to work with so many bright and energetic people. I will give thanks for the chance to work for a company whose mission is real and meaningful.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving, and pause, and give thanks.