by B.J. Armstrong

This Thanksgiving... this is my prayer. Oh Lord, when I have food, help me remember those that are hungry. When I am working, help me to remember the jobless. When I have a warm home, help me to remember the homeless. When I am healthy with no pain, help me to remember those that are suffering. Make me concerned for others for what I take for granted. This is paraphrased from Samuel Pugh's poem, A Thanksgiving Prayer. Go back and re-read from the beginning. This should be everyone's prayer this year. In order to be healthy in this time we're living, we need to be concerned for others. I believe it makes you a more healthy individual.

Learning to be thankful and grateful is like a golden thread woven throughout your life. An attitude of gratitude should flavor everything that you do. It will make you feel like getting up in the morning. It will make you nicer to people. It will make your life better. It will make you a healthy person. Is it really a big deal if a dog chases a rabbit through your flower bed?

A thankful person is gentle with the young. A grateful person is compassionate with the elderly. A thoughtful person is tolerant to the weak. Someday, you will have been all of these.

We observe Thanksgiving in November. for me, it is a 'Thanks' time to be thankful and 'giving' a time to give of our time and self. It's also a time to eat, eat, and eat again. Forget the diet for this day. Three things you can do to have a thankful day:

1. Ask each person at the table to name one thing that they are thankful for.
2. Pray for our country.
3. Make plans to exercise sometime on Friday.

November is a fall month. The leaves are falling and trees are getting bare. Nature is getting ready for the winter. November and December are festive times. Months to eat and eat some more. But, please, don't re-salt your food. More than 2 million Americans have some disorder of taste or smell perception. Taste and smell begin to decline after the age of 30.

If your sense of smell is impaired, your enjoyment of food is diminished. In fact, an intact 'smelling sense' accounts for 75% of the flavor you perceive. If you lose your sense of smell, you may not be able to taste what you are eating. The flavors of coffee and chocolate are largely sensed by their aroma. If you need to be convinced of this, take this test. Close your eyes and hold your nose. Have someone put some food in your mouth. Chances are, you won't be able to tell what it is.

As we get older, our taste buds reduce in number and size. By the time we are 70, you have half the taste buds you had when you were 20. The taste buds at the front of the tongue are sweet and salty. They are the first to go. Those on the sides and back which are bitter and sour, are affected later.

Aside from aging, the three major causes to loss of smell and taste are:
1. Viral infection
2. Head injuries
3. Nasal disorders

So, this Thanksgiving, if you find that your food no longer tastes like it should or you don't perceive aromas as well as you did, let your doctor know. It's important for you to have enjoyment out of your food this holiday. If you do have a problem, or think you do, eat lots of highly seasoned foods. Combining hot and cold temperatures in the same dish may help some. Try crunchy foods, such as nuts or croutons to enhance your foods. Flavor is what makes eating such a pleasure. It's defined as the interaction of aroma, taste, texture, appearance, temperature and spiciness. Happy Thanksgiving! Be thankful! 

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