Giving Thanks

I love Thanksgiving, sometimes more than Christmas (Joseph Epstein says it's the "adult holiday"). Here's a warm Thanksgiving greeting:

I hope all of you are celebrating the holiday with the people who mean most to you in the world. We truly have much to be thankful for. As Americans, we are living in the one of the most prosperous countries of the world at the most prosperous time in history. We must be thankful for the men and women who have left their homes to fight in our armed forces. We must be thankful for the researchers who have developed medicines and treatments that keep us alive so much longer than any other time in history. And we must be thankful for freedoms that we ordinary citizens share that are truly rare in the world's history. No matter what your gripe is, you can come to appreciate your luck at living here and now by just dipping into any history book about any other time. Then go enjoy your clean water, indoor plumbing, access to education and medicine and be thankful. There are many around the world today who don't enjoy those assets who would trade in their life situations in a flash to be in our places. So, let us indeed be thankful.

These wishes were written by Betsy Newmark.

I'm thankful to be blessed to live in such a rich and wonderful country. I'm thankful for the gift of God's bounty in America, in my freedom to succeed to the best of my ability, and to raise a family free from fear or want.

I'm especially thankful for all Americans who work to make the lives of other people better, for example our teachers and firefighters.

I'm extra, extra thankful for our military service personnel who have put themselves in harm's way to defend our interests and spread the cause of freedom to those nations less fortunate than ours.

Here's to wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.