My Thanks for Then and Now

Good Almost Thanksgiving,

I know the economy is supposed to be in the pits, but what better time to give thanks for all we have. Gas has gone down under $2.00 per gallon, and if that isn’t a blessing, I am not sure what is. Let’s start there.

When I was a kid, we lived in a house with no plumbing, and no central heat. I don’t remember being unhappy because it was what it was. I did wish to be warm a lot. Today, I have a beautiful home, but I can’t say as I am always warm. Fuel is still expensive, but I wear lots of layers and am pretty comfortable all the time. I wonder how warm the lean-tos and cabins the Pilgrims lived in were. No wonder the ladies wore those long skirts and shawls. Talk about tough. They must have had a big lot of faith to endure those times.

When I was a youngster, we walked. We walked to school. We walked to the store. We walked to church. When we were on vacation, we walked to and in the woods, and we walked to visit all the old ladies who lived on the surrounding farms. A car trip was an occasion. Today I have arthritis and can’t walk far. Maybe I should have been more thankful when I was a kid.

When I was a kid, I wore hand-me-downs from an aunt who worked. I was a big kid in high school and that arrangement worked, although I was sometimes less than grateful because I wanted the same sorts of skirts and blouses the other girls in my class wore. Today I happily shop at the local thrift shops, and couldn’t care less what the crowd is wearing so long as I am covered and warm.

We feasted on holidays when I was a kid, living on a farm provided all sorts of foods that seem like luxuries when one has to purchase them in today’s supermarkets. I guess I should have been more grateful back then, because preparing for a holiday is serious business for people on a fixed income.

When I was a child, I wrote my stories on a tablet of lined paper with a always diminishing yellow pencil. Today I use a computer that highlights my mistakes and sends the stories off to my publisher Write Words Inc. at the speed of light. Whodathunk it!

I am grateful and happy for what I have today. I wish that little girl in hand-me-downs could see all I have today. I bet she would be amazed at the harvest I have gathered in my life. I am grateful for the rich variety life has given me, and I am thankful for all of my happy harvest.

Keep on the sunny side,

Terry

PS: I forgot to say I have published more than a dozen books. I am very grateful that particular dream came true.

Thanking Our Vets

Good Morning,

I took today's photo on the Pride of Baltimore, an 18th century schooner that is part of the tall ship preservation movement that reminds us of America's early days. If you note, the flag has only 13 stars representing the original 13 colonies. Those colonies fought a war to gain freedom from England - so patriotism and defending liberty is a big part of our heritage. I can trace the European portion of my ancestry clean back to 1632 when a man named Samuel Lincoln came to the New World as an indentured servant. I imagine Samuel would shake his head in disbelief if he could see where his great adventure has gone.

When I think about veterans, I don't have to look far afield. My father and grandfather both served in WW2; Dad in the North Atlantic flying over the frigid seas to photograph enemy submarines, and Gramp helped build the Burma Road. My brother was a sailor in the Vietnam era and he was wounded in Etheopia before entering the submarine service. Two sisters served in the military, one saw combat in Desert Storm. I think of their stories with pride. They fought and served for all of us and I believe we owe a debt of gratitude for all of the men and women who step out to defend the ideal of freedom.

In a sense, we are all veterans, for whenever there are soldiers, there are families at home that pray for their safe return. Today is a day for us to all pause and reflect on the service the American warriors have rendered to the cause of freedom. I know I am grateful for the effort that keeps free speech alive so that I can write what I wish and share my ideas with the world. You can't do that in every place in the world.

And so I say thank you vets, and God Bless America!

Terry