Thanksgiving 2013

     Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  It is a day spent with family enjoying a nice meal.  I don’t go to stores on Black Friday, or the whole weekend for that matter.  It is a time to appreciate and be grateful for the good in our lives.  This year I have made a list of that which I am thankful.  It reflects what at times we seem to forget or take for granted.

I am thankful for the adults who watch over my children.  Teachers, bus drivers, dance instructors, cafeteria workers, aides, librarians, etc.  They are dedicated and work hard to help our kids grow, mature, learn, and have fun.

I am thankful that about all other qualities, my kids are kind to others.

I am grateful for the doctors who continue to follow-up on my healthcare.  It is always a huge relief to hear I am well.

I am happy that the Northeast had a wonderful Fall season.  It was nice to see the leaves change color without a freak snowstorm or hurricane ruining the annual display. Many days were warm as well.

I am thankful that I had an opportunity to see many friends I have not seen in years.  It is incredible how we can pick right up were we left off with lots of laughter.

I am thankful that despite its difficulties and hard times, we still live in the greatest country on earth.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Angela

The Visions of Leaders Lost

     It has been 50 years since the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.    The news this week was filled with stories recounting that fateful day in Dallas, Texas when the president was fired upon, and ultimately killed.  The nation fell into a period of deep mourning.  It is often stated many can remember exactly where they were, and what they were doing when they heard the news.   One common thread appears in the numerous television, newspaper, magazine, and internet stories.  The question of what might have been had JFK lived.

     Regardless of his political or personal issues, the one factor all seem to agree is that he had ambition and a vision to literally and figuratively send the country to the moon.  I was too young to remember the loss of this president, but I do remember assassinations of others who followed.   I remember being home and hearing my parents say “Oh my god.  They shot King.”   I remember sitting in my elementary classroom.  The teachers talking about Robert Kennedy as his funeral was being broadcasted on the television hanging above our heads.  Even though I was too young to fully understand the significance of these men, it was clear the nation had suffered a great loss with the passing of each one.

      I often wonder the direction our country might have taken had these leaders lived.   John with his ambition and expression that as a country we have no limits, Robert with the focus on social issues in need of immediate attention, and Martin with his nonviolent movement to insure that all Americans have the right to live a life of freedom.   A generation of young Americans lost their visionaries and yet still yearn to achieve the ideals they so eloquently preached, and so tirelessly worked toward accomplishing.  This is their legacy.   Hopefully we are still listening to the message and someday will reach the moon, the mountain top, and the peace of an America that is safe, strong, and equal for all.

Veterans Day 2013

                                                                                                                                              

     I have not let a day that honors our military go by without some kind of commentary.  I was thinking of what I could add that was not stated before.  Today, on the CBS Sunday Morning show, I saw this story about wounded warriors finding a sense of peace through music.

      Watch this story and you will feel the depth of their pain, struggle, and motivation to live.  On this Veterans Day, thank you is only the beginning of what we owe these brave men and women.  There is nothing I can add to the words of the veterans themselves, and maybe that is the way it should be.

http://youtu.be/b2QBOK1nFL4