Thanksgiving is almost over here in the US. Like many others, I ate way too much food today and have tons of leftovers. And like many other librarians who have already blogged their thanks, I too have much to be thankful for.
My local newspaper (yes, the paper kind that gets dropped in a puddle on the driveway most days) had an angry letter to the editor about the lack of “god” in Thanksgiving. Another story spoke of immigrants celebrating Thanksgiving. One woman said the holiday makes her very angry, seeing it as a celebration of white men surviving starvation and driving out native americans.
I know the holidays are hard for many people, I’ve had years when it was very difficult to get through the holidays. But it was the anger that made me feel sad, that they were missing out on something. For me Thanksgiving is simply a day to be thankful for what is good in my life and do what I can to help others who aren’t as fortunate. A good thing to do everyday if we can remember. But that’s exactly why I like Thanksgiving, it reminds me to be thankful, to think of others and hopefully to act.
So my list of things that I’m thankful for:
- A wonderful husband to share my life and the roof over our heads.
- Parents who are well into their 80’s, still healthy, independent and cruising the ‘net (hi mom!)
- Good friends and a garden I love to tend.
- Health insurance that pays for drugs that let me do what I want to do and continue to work. (Don’t get me started on how expensive rheumatoid arthritis drugs are and how devastating this disease can be for those who can’t afford the drugs.)
- Work that I absolutely love and hope to be able to do for many, many years.
- And an ever growing group of colleagues who contribute so much to my life.
And thanks to these other bloggers for their thoughts on thankfulness.
Now, time for some leftovers!
Entries (RSS)