Usually on Thursdays I offer you a short quote (a “Thursday Thought”). But I took yesterday off to enjoy Thanksgiving with my family. The gathering of our small family brought joy to my heart, and that joy brought even more gratitude. So today I pass on to you a little of what I am thankful for.
Happy Thanksgiving YEAR!
If you’ve been a reader of this blog for awhile, you know that I believe in the power of the human family when we join together to make this world a better place for all of us. So I’m calling on your help now.
My state (CA) is burning up. We have so many individual wildfires that they’re combining to make larger, more deadly, destructive ones. And hot weather with blustery winds. And a drought, with little or no rain.
People are losing everything they have. They’re learning that they must find someplace else to live until they can rebuild their homes–and that insurance may cover only 10% of the cost. Pets and livestock are lost or consumed by flames. Human lives are lost, both residents and fire-fighters.
What I ask of you is to send the human spirit of compassion and unity into the universe, asking for en end to the fires, adequate quenching and rejuvenating rain, and safety for all involved. If you believe in prayer, do that. Otherwise, send out good vibes, happy thoughts, and poisitive feelings. Expect results.
This isn’t magic, just family ties.
Here’s an upbeat story to counteract all the stories of harm done by famous sports stars. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder guard, won a new car as MVP and promptly turned it over to a single mom as a way to brighten her life and as a reward for “all the hard work she’s done to keep her family together.” A local charity recommended this particular family to Westbrook.
I’m sure that Westbrook will have many more chances at being given a car and other valuables, including some very lucrative contracts. It’s nice to see him share his rewards for his hard work with someone who will be struggling for more years but now has needed reliable transportation for work and family, plus a chance to smile and feel good.
This is people helping people, the way things should be. In life, Russell Westbrook really is an MVP.
Recently, although it’s been around since 1999, I discovered a marvelous family-protecting organization called Get on the Bus. They make sure that children don’t lose contact with their parents who are in prison. That’s a lot of kids–200,000 CA kids have a parent who is incarcerated, 1.5 + million kids in the U.S.
Get on the Bus brings groups of kids and their caregivers to share a day with Mom or Dad. They provide free transportation, a travel bag, a photo with their parent, and food for the day. When they’re on their way home each child is given a teddy bear and a note from the parent.
This is great for families, who often fall away after a person is in prison a year. It removes the fear of visiting a prison and encourages those who can visit on their own to do so. It helps keep inmates in touch with family and the Outside, making reintegrating into society once released easier and more possible, thus lessening the chance of being a repeat offender.
Read more about Get on the Bus at their website. Then, if you don’t live in CA, see about getting a similar program going in your state. It’s a win-win for everyone.
Today I thought I’d share my Christmas glow with you. My husband and I spent five days in a little place called Nuevo, CA. There’s nothing there to speak of–maybe half a dozen family-owned businesses and an occasional tumble weed-blocked road. The lack of McDonalds, Walmart, and traffic was refreshing, and the view of the rugged-rock mountains from the desert floor was spectacular.
Our hosts, Trino and Maria–our son’s future in-laws–recently moved onto five acres of quiet beauty. Slowly they’re turning the land into a ranch, planning to build a barn for their three horses and add chickens and ducks and they’re-not-sure-what-else. Their home is a barn-shaped house filled with warmth and love.
Christmas Eve and Day the house and yard were overflowing with family of all ages. Food was plentiful and constant, all homemade, from traditional tamales to the Navajo daughter-in-law’s Navajo fry bread. (I’ve decided that Mexican moms and Jewish moms have one big thing in common: their unending cry of “Eat, eat, eat!”)
Gifts were thoughtful. For example, one of their sons who is a Marine (four active-duty tours in recent years) exchanged stories with my ex-submarine-sailor (two tours, including Nam) husband, then gifted him with the ribbons my husband had earned but lost over the years, plus a Navy watch. The talented fry-bread cook gave me–someone she’d never met–a stunning necklace, crafted in the Navajo style, which took her two days to make.
Needless to say, the two sets of people bonded into one family. Our son had already been totally accepted long before; now we’re part of a larger family, too. This was a most excellent Christmas gift for me. I hope yours was just as joyful.
It’s family time! My husband and I are flying to Southern California this afternoon to meet our son’s girlfriend of 3+ years and spend Christmas with them. (She’s pretty brave, letting the two moms get together and possibly plot strategy toward a wedding.) That means that I won’t be posting again until Monday, Dec. 29.
Meanwhile, I want to wish my Christian readers a very blessed Christmas; and, for all of you who celebrate it not as a religious day but as family time, a very merry holiday.
(If you’re bored and have nothing else to do over the next 5 days, you can always browse through my old blogs. Nawwwww…..)
I’m tired of hearing, “My prayers are with them.” Not that I don’t believe in the power of prayer, because I do. I just don’t believe THEM, the people who say this. Sure, their hearts are in the right place; they simply want to comfort the grieving. How many, though, actually follow through on what they say? Not a quick “Oh, my God!” on hearing about a tragedy but actual prayer? Too often, the victims fly out of a person’s mind as soon as he/she has uttered those words. What would happen if everyone who said that actually DID say a little prayer frequently for the victim and family, DID hold them for a few moments every once in awhile in their minds and hearts? I bet it would do some good for those being prayed for. It would be good, too, for those praying, because, as studies show, a little meditation and reaching out to others makes a person happier and healthier.
This is appropriate for Thoughtful Thursday AND this season of good will:
“No society of nations, no people within a nation, no family can benefit through mutual aid unless good will exceeds ill will; unless the spirit of cooperation surpasses antagonism; unless we all see and act as though the other man’s welfare determines our own welfare. ” — Henry Ford
I’m thankful for you, my readers–1186 of you have signed up as of this moment. I’m also thankful for the holiday meal I’ll be sharing with my family, as well as for the fact that my family is fortunate enough not to need to worry about where our next meal will come from–or IF it will come. Lastly, I’m thankful for the warmth of the sun that energizes me and reminds me of all that’s good in the world.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE! I’ll be back in this space on Friday.
A long-overdue family reunion is taking place in our home this week. I am reminded of an Alex Haley quote that’s perfect for today’s Thursday Thought:
“In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.”
