Here it comes again. the annual invasion of turkeys, cranberry sauce and gastrointestinal excess. For many Americans scattered across the globe, this Thanksgiving season is delivering a basket filled with IEDs, blood and horror; a horn of plenty of grief and misery from a war-torn planet seemingly intent upon its own destruction.

War, strife and civil unrest have been with us since the birth of the dream that gradually sprouted and bloomed into the reality we now call America the beautiful. There are those who would point out that destruction is necessary for change. That misery and suffering is the price of being alive, as well as the price of freedom. which, as we all have come to recognize. is not now and never was. "Free".

And, as if current events are not depressing enough, Hollywood is releasing another movie chronicling the life and death of Bobby Kennedy. Those of us old enough to remember the period of history that handed us his assassination along with that of his brother, John and Martin Luther King may be still reeling from the emotional impact that stunned our national consciousness, leaving us feeling empty and hopeless inside just as the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 did.

So then, in the face of all this chaos, misery, pain and suffering. what, precisely do we have to be thankful for?

It has been said that our perspective determines our reality. For sure, perspective determines our sense of right and wrong and generates goals and morality. Perspective, therefore, is a powerful tool. When things are going well, we may feel we can dispense with perspective and enjoy the moments. But when times are rough, we may need to dig into our tool box of life to find the perspective that will give us the strength to move forward in the face of great adversity. Those who have lost sons, daughters, mothers and fathers to war or other tragedy this year may have to dig deeper than the rest of us, but it is there, waiting to be pulled out and put to use.

So what am I thankful for this year? Perhaps I am a bit of an optimist, but as I tug my perspective from my own tool box, I find I am capable of giving thanks for a number of things.

Perhaps first and foremost, I am thankful for the spiritual resolve of those 120 rugged individualists who climbed into that ninety-foot, wooden boat called The Mayflower and set sail for The New World from Plymouth, England on September 06, 1620. I am thankful they succeeded in the face of fierce hurricanes and seriously deficient living conditions during their sixty-five day journey.

I am grateful and thankful beyond words for all those who fought and offered up their lives for the creation of our country in the American Revolution, including my own great-great grandfather, John Jaquish (1755-1845) of Woodbridge, New Jersey.

I am grateful for and to, the succeeding generations of American men who contributed their lives in later conflicts to preserve the nation that we all now call home and to those who continue that tradition to this day.

I am grateful for the marvelous and beautiful diversity of the culture of America that exists today and I thank both the Native Americans and the immigrants who have come to our shores in the past and continue to come, bringing energy and creativity that invigorates our great country and makes our society unique and special above all others.

I am thankful for the challenges we all face today, for they allow us to escape from the pit of complacency by forcing us to re-identify our fundamental core values and regain our focus on what it means to be an American.

I am thankful for the constant stream of analysis, dialogue and self-criticism that takes place all over America all the time via the media and internet blogs such as this. For without dialog, there is no growth and without growth, there is only death.

I am thankful to live in a country that recognizes how important it is NOT to cram religion down our throats while at the same time, recognizing that that this is a country that was founded by those who believed in freedom of, as well as freedom from religion.

I am thankful for all this, and more. For despite the darkness and horror, the world and our nation is indeed a wondrous, marvelous miracle and every hour of every day is an opportunity to begin all over again with new choices and new possibilities. For in the end, "Life," is really only what we do every day.


Happy Thanksgiving!