Some time ago I wrote about being thankful for things beginning with each letter of the alphabet. Let
me do the same thing for today’s world/ nation/ state/ county/ community/ home.
A – America, of course, the
first word that comes to mind. Americans must act out of a love for country and
all who dwell therein and the world and its millions.
B – Bees, for without them,
experts say, our food supply will dwindle into nothing we’ve even thought
about.
C – Climate. We’re warned that
before it’s too late, to stifle killer emissions and to ‘go green’. And I’ve
just bought a new riding lawn mower, alas.
D – Dictionaries, one of which I
turn to a page per letter skimming until I find something I’m thankful for. I’m
thankful to BBF Dot for giving me the one I use often.
E – Environment: air, water,
earth. May we be thankful enough to guard it wisely.
F – Flowers, easy to grow,
pleasing to the eye and to the environment, examples of dying only to live
again in another time.
G – Good Samaritans who see
needs and attend to them with no thought of recompense.
H – Hope—sometimes the only
thing that seems to be left in certain situations of illness, death,
destruction, obstruction or leaving your first-born at college as a freshman.
I – Introspection, looking
inward, naming emotions, wondering about things.
J – Jocularity—joking; full of
fun – A phrase often used by our last choir director, as in “Too much
jocularity!” when we get off task.
K – kinfolk or
kinfolks—cherished (or not) family, relatives, especially during Thanksgiving.
L – Linemen who keep our
electricity flowing during hurricanes, floods and other bad weather.
M – Michael Gerson, columnist,
who died at age 58 of cancer and whose writings won over his readers.
N – Nature, in all its meanings,
especially the physical universe and its forces.
O – Oxygen, especially bottled
oxygen for those with breathing issues.
P – Police officers. Oh, Lord,
keep watch over them during these tumultuous times.
Q – Quests: may we always be on
one or another.
R – Renewal—in all ways
possible: personal, national, natural resources, recycling.
S – Seasons of the year: spring,
summer, fall, winter, each with its own story and glory.
T – Traditions, such as
Thanksgiving get-togethers.
U – Unity—something to strive
toward in matters of importance.
V – Vision to see beyond our own
narrow interests to those of the larger community, nation and world.
W -- Writers, poets and
philosophers who share their experiences with the rest of us.
X – X-rays. They might discover
problems that can be treated.
Y – Yesterdays and the thoughts
thereof that sometimes force us into something better.
Z – Zinnias, those colorful
annuals that defy death until the deadliest freeze.
Happy
Thanksgiving. Giving thanks happily. Thanks for giving happily.
