ON THANKSGIVING, I often share this book, published eighteen years ago and never out of hardcover print. With wonderful art by Greg Shed and a message that spoke—and speaks—directly from my heart, I am so happy to share it once more. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

In part…
The world is full of secrets. Gentle, shy things that some people know and some don’t. The best secrets are the ones that make us happy, and the best thing about any secret is sharing it with someone else who wants to know.

Perhaps you’d like to know a secret. You will surely discover it for yourself one day, maybe when you least expect it.

You might discover the secret at dawn, a morning like all other mornings. The sun climbs over the edge of the earth and begins to fill the world with light… And you say softly, simply, “Thanks. Thank you, sun, for the gift of a new day. For all its choices and challenges, for all the beauty that it brings.”

Or sometime perhaps you’ll notice a flower as if for the very first time, and thank it and all of its bright brothers and sisters for the grace of their blossoms and the sweetness of their breath, for coloring your path and reminding you how easy it can be to smile…

… For here is the secret, if you have not already guessed it. The heart that gives thanks is a happy one, for we cannot feel thankful and unhappy at the same time. The more we say thanks, the more we find to be thankful for. And the more we find to be thankful for, the happier we become.

We don’t give thanks because we’re happy. We are happy because we remember to give thanks.