Gratitude

Some years ago I became aware of this eloquent WSJ editorial, “And The Fair Land,” which has appeared on Thanksgiving annually since 1961. In our present mode of nonstop, shrill invective it’s good to take a moment to consider how truly fortunate we are. This nation is not somehow “better” than others, but rather America created itself as an alternative — to monarchies, dictators and despots. We chose the rule of law, not of kings. The spirit of this nation is alive and well and we, the people, continue to benefit from our 244-year experiment in democracy. Happy Thanksgiving! Please pass the cranberry sauce.

[excerpt] “This is indeed a big country, a rich country, in a way nothing can measure to those who have not seen it. Even those who journey through its Northeastern complex, into the Southern lands, across the central plains and to its Western slopes can only glimpse a measure of the bounty of America.

And a traveler cannot but be struck on his journey by the thought that this country, one day, can be even greater. America, though many know it not, is one of the great underdeveloped countries of the world; what it reaches for, far exceeds what it has grasped.

We can all remind ourselves that the richness of this country was not born in the resources of the earth, though they be plentiful, but in the men that took its measure. For that reminder is everywhere—in the cities, towns, farms, roads, factories, homes, hospitals, and schools that spread everywhere over that wilderness.

We can remind ourselves that for all our social discord we yet remain the longest enduring society of free men governing themselves without benefit of kings or dictators. Being so, we are the marvel and the mystery of the world, for that enduring liberty is no less a blessing than the abundance of the earth.”

Gratitude – Today:

5. Thankful for all my friends, neighbors, familiar faces

4. Thankful for my Mom, age 88, my brother and sister and their families, and brother/sister-in-law and awesome kids

3. Thankful for my Dad, Ken D, both grandfathers, Uncle Bill, two cousins, my father-in-law, and his brother who served our country to keep it free

2. Thankful for a system/economy/career that allows me to enjoy the work I do to provide

1. Thankful for my amazing wife Christi and our 29.5 years together… Our sons Ben, John and Rob and that they are all healthy and thriving

“Gratitude is always in one’s power,” wrote John Adams to his wife, Abigail. “With gratitude we can remain steady amid chaos, and reject despair in a troubled hour.”