Questions and Answers

It’s been another tough year on this planet of ours.  Mankind has been up to his usual no good at times and Mother Nature has once again proven how angry she can get, undoubtedly due to some of the no good mankind has afflicted on her.  Why shouldn’t she be upset?!

In a German children’s picture book that we grew up with, ETWAS VON DEN WURZELKINDERN (Something from the Root-Children), there is a wonderful illustration of Mother Earth preparing the root-children for the coming of winter.  Now this is the way it should be!

Before we know it,  it’s Thanksgiving, a holiday celebrated in some form in many parts of the world often as a harvest festival.  When American Thanksgiving rolls around each November , (I can’t even remember what the actual historical date is as it is now always celebrated on the 4th Thursday of the month,) we’re given that extra nudge to be optimistic about the eleven months that have passed.  We may even recall the turkeys we created by tracing our hand, fingers spread, in Miss Brockups second grade class, which were then ceremoniously taped to the classroom windows! (Oh, the smell of real Crayola crayons!)

We can all make lists of the ups and downs of the year soon past and hopefully the ups will outnumber the downs, so that by the time the New Year arrives, we feel confident that all-in-all we still do have lots to be thankful for.

However, let’s get a jump on the thanks this Thursday, keeping in mind all of those folks who are facing the challenges brought on by hurricane Sandy, including Tom Hachtman and his friends and neighbors.  If you haven’t made a contribution to the Red Cross or other organization which is involved in hurricane recovery, please consider it.

And then there are thousands and thousands around the world who can’t even imagine sitting around a table featuring a roasted, oversize chicken-like creature, pie made from a large, orangish, not too pleasant smelling orb and eating potatoes that are as sweet as fruit, smothered with a white goo, which young campers put on the end of a stick and hold over a fire to roast, making the potatoes even sweeter!

So, it’s not ‘Thanks, but No Thanks,” but instead ‘Thanks…and Yes, Thanks to One and All!’