Already, the signs of Thanksgiving are everywhere.

Pilgrims smile from store windows, cartoon turkeys sell cranberry sauce, magazines push pumpkin pie recipes.

By the time we reach the last Thursday in November, the holiday hoopla will have fallen as thick as leaves, and there's a good chance the spirit of Thanksgiving will be buried beneath the pile.

So we'd like to take time to remember the real meaning of this annual day of thanks, and we'd like you to help.

Tell us what you're thankful for. It may be a new wife or a new life, the gift of health, an unexpected pleasure, or a simple act of kindness. Write 100 words or fewer and, by Nov. 18, send to: Giving Thanks, c/o Features Dept., Baltimore Sun, 510 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, Md. 21278. Or e-mail it to us at michael.graaltsun.com. Please include your phone number and city of residence.

We will print as many responses as we can in the Today section on Thanksgiving Day.

Oh, and thank you.

Pub Date: 11/08/98