Thanksgiving Gratitude
Submitted by Jan LaPitz, Minneapolis, MN
Every day is a day to be lived well! As a once in a lifetime treasure,
today will be reborn at tomorrow's dawn as a "cherished yesterday".
Thanksgiving is an excellent day to acknowledge and be grateful for the
family values by which my generation was raised. The gifts of our cherished
yesterdays brought us to who we are today. The morals and traditions woven
through the tapestry of our youth were presented with loving hearts, strong
parental convictions, focused "can do" attitudes, and consistencies specific
to that time in our country's history.
Many gifts have been bestowed upon the women of my generation. We have much
to be grateful for, and a legion of heroines to thank. Many women have
gone before us blazing trails through the worlds of business, sports,
science, performing arts, fashion, medicine, journalism, education,
literature, politics, economics, religion and more. They tore down the
walls of sexism and racism one brick at a time with their bare hands to
achieve their goals. We bask in the aftermath of their sacrifices, and in
the radiance of their triumphs. Personally I bow to each of them. Their
accomplishments are truly responsible for the successes we all share as
women today. Take a breath, ponder that, and say "amen" and "thank you"
ladies.
So, here we stand today in 2007 with all these freedoms and choices. We can
be what ever we want to be when we want to be. But, do we try to do too
much? Are we trying to pack too many options into our lives? Do we try to
wear too many hats, the trousers, and the push-up bras all at the same time?
In the rush of life, are we trying to take advantage of so many
opportunities that we're losing sight of the values of our youth? Are the
truly important things in life slipping through our fingers? Have some of
us perhaps created a sense of self-importance to feed our egos, and our need
to be needed? Or, have we just simply gotten caught up in the whirlwind
life style of today's electronically fast paced society.
In this hurried atmosphere we live in, "what will you really be bringing to
this year's Thanksgiving table?" Will you be so engrossed in preparing the
perfect supper table and special feast that you lose sight of the
opportunity for togetherness this Holiday affords? Will you be an observer
on the sidelines of life spending too much time capturing "Kodak moments" on
film? Or, will you be an active participant in the day's photo ops?
Where will your freedom of choice take you this Holiday season?
Will you need to do it all? Or, will you order bakery pies, and let a guest
bring a dish to share.
Will you give yourself the gift of a day lived to its fullest, to hold in
your tomorrow as a cherished yesterday.