Happy Thanksgiving

As you all know I am not American, and yet as I find myself living and working here I find that I too find meaning in this holiday. So here are some of the many things I am thankful for:

• My family, though we are separated by thousands of miles they are always in my heart and mind.
• My friends, those people who have chosen me to be part of their lives though we share no tie of blood or kin (and in some case not even the same time zone).
• My past, even though there have been hard times as well as good, it is my past that has made me who I am.
• My health, in the past I did not have great health, yet today I am alive, healthy (if skinny) and still look younger than my years.
• My good fortune, I am blessed with a job that pays well, a nice home and many opportunities.

These are just a few of the many things I am thankful for in my life.

On Tomorrow

Finally I don't wish to spoil anyone's holiday, but as I and many of you reading this have been fortunate in our lives, I feel a duty to make one comment on tomorrow.

Tomorrow millions of Americans will stampede into shops and malls around the country in search of the ultimate "Black Friday" deal. People will be pushed, tempers will flare, and the good spirits of today will be forgotten. In a world where many want for the very basics of life, I hope that if you do go out shopping tomorrow that you will take a minute to reconsider that harsh word or short temper. Remember how lucky you are to be safe and well fed, there are many who are not so lucky...even in our own neighborhoods.

I will leave you with this quote.

“A culture that does not grasp the vital interplay between morality and power, which mistakes management techniques for wisdom, and fails to understand that the measure of a civilization is its compassion, not its speed or ability to consume, condemns itself to death.” – Chris Hedges

Wishing you are yours a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving.