Greed is in the corner

Happy Thanksgiving, aah...at last, a holiday based less on buying something and more on a concept we need to pay more attention to. (Which may be why it is going almost unnoticed in much of this year's going ons.)

Yes, most people will buy a turkey, but it is not an absolute necessity. I know people who will not eat turkey on this Thanksgiving day. I know people who will choose to eat at nursing homes and hospitals and soup kitchens. And I know people who will have big traditional Thanksgiving dinners filled with the stress of super cleaning because Aunt Mabel is coming and extra cooking so everyone will have the dish they love most and so many people in one home that a conflict negotiator might explode trying to keep the peace, but in the end, the idea is right. We have much to be thankful for and they are all things that cannot be bought.

We are here. If only for this one reason, thanksgiving is definitely required. It doesn't matter who we are and where here is, because we is all of us and here is here!

Greed has been duly acknowledged and sent to the corner to mull over her offenses to society and the world. Who knows what will come of it, but at least the way has been opened for our country. At these crossroads other countries have sometimes taken the other way and all hope of democracy and justice have been set aside. The United States Of America still stands tall with her head high and her chest out, saying, these are all my people and not one among them is worth more than the other because of color, or ethnicity, or religion, and definitely not because of some crass thing like gold. You may not believe this and you have the right to that belief, but you cannot deny justice to another without denying yourself.

Ideals are not reality, but we have passed the first test. We are one step closer to that beautiful story of the Pilgrims sitting down to a table laden with the fruit of their toiling and sharing it with all those around them.

Last year I was afraid we had lost sight of who and what we are. This year I give thanks with all my heart for the joy of knowing opportunities still abound.