Thinking about Thanksgiving Day raises awareness about gratitude. We know there is a lot to be thankful for year-round; however, when the day is set aside as a National Holiday it extends appreciation to others in special ways that ordinarily might have been taken for granted. Simple things come to mind, such as the sacrifice by the cook in the kitchen preparing a Thanksgiving dinner, the courage to forgive and forget disputes and come together as a family, taking down barriers that caused friction, and most of all, showing mutual respect to our veterans, the elderly, the children and everyone in between. Honoring our traditions and commitments to each other increases hope that no one has to be alone. Teaching the youngest members of the family values and how important it is to be grateful for everything you have and knowing that it doesn’t matter how much you have, or how little, sharing is a gift from the heart and a lesson to be learned knowing the more you give, the more you receive.
November marks the season of blessings and gratitude. I hope we never have another pandemic. There are many who survived but many who are very fragile, afraid to travel or gather where there are crowds. Invisible scars, emotional sorrow, and financial loss are painful topics to discuss. People contemplating suicide don’t verbalize outwardly but suffer internally. Telling others what they have to do or take the jab is not the answer. There is no vaccine to take away loneliness, depression, or deep sadness. Self-esteem, a new job, financial security, and hope does not come in the form of a pill, prescription, or alternative medicine or addictions. People need good people. The time for blaming, shaming, and disgracing one another has to end peacefully. May we work on ourselves to have an open heart to make a wider circle of advocates who support one another to cope under extraordinary circumstances.
This is a special time to watch what you say. Wherever you go, whatever you do, choose your words carefully. Not everyone has a HAPPY Thanksgiving. Non-verbal communication speaks volumes. A caring person throws caution to the wind when assuming everyone will be happy and everyone is celebrating a Happy Thanksgiving Day. It really isn’t a time for togetherness for ALL but if you can do something special to console the heartbeats among us with kindness, understanding, and more caring, there surely can be more blessings for those in need ---Patricia Feager
No matter how tall or wide a tree is, someone planted it, and made it survive.
---Don Santo
Comments(27)