Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

It’s 4AM, I’m about to wake up and begin the festivities of celebrating Thanksgiving in our home tonight. The fact that I am up all night reminds me of the countless Thanksgiving dinners I celebrated with my family in Duluth and Minneapolis or the Twin Cities and Wausau or Milwaukee as a kid. I was always so wound up the night before I never slept, and couldn’t wait to see all of our relatives.

I’ve been trying to figure out all day long a good solid Thanksgiving message to post in another of my vain attempts to feel like I could put words together that might help everyone resonate in a positive manner on this day of intensely emotional celebration. I’ve had a lot on my mind these past few weeks, being a teacher, and watching our country adjust to the next passage of time we will all endure after such a historic election process. I suppose it is even more ironic that today we celebrate Thanksgiving so close to a period of life in our society more divisive than I can ever remember.

So as I try to figure out the right words, it suddenly dawns on me that the answer has already been presented. Instead of focusing on that derision, that upsetting of the cart, the seemingly odd reality of who we are as a nation, perhaps it is time to be thankful that we can all still rally together as a family of unifying spirits, far and away much stronger than the ability to allow separatism to define who we are today.

I hope we can wake up and find happiness with our loves and our family and memory and spiritual foundation that allow us to live our lives with purpose and integrity. I hope we can look at our neighbors and recognize the simple beauty that is truth far before the ugliness of fear and ignorance that seems to dissuade our society from understanding the magic of believing in the strength in numbers versus the isolation of single-minded self-servitude.

Let’s celebrate our love and make every effort toward putting that energy together in a manner that may help all of us grow and move forward. Let’s recall the people without the privilege our lives seem to be granted and reach out to offer their needs an olive branch of hope and prayer, forgiveness and support.

Let’s all celebrate Thanksgiving together. This could be our truly embraceable America if we begin to believe outside of ourselves..

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone.
Love.

2 responses to “Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!”

Mark David Goodson

November 28, 2016 at 5:57 am

Hope you had a great thanksgiving Thom! Grateful for your friendship, my fellow teacher and pen pal!

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1. thom amundsen
  
  November 28, 2016 at 6:29 am
  
  A kinder word could not be heard Mark – I appreciate my connection with you and always look forward to your words. Best to you and your family as well.
  
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