Thanksgiving

The Thanksgiving holiday has not yet been officially closed. Its just Sunday afternoon and families are still socializing and feasting on delicious food and conversation.

I'm not sure who determines when the holiday is officially over, but someone, somewhere will soon begin assembling statistics and plugging them into spreadsheets that will yield colorful charts giving us information on everything from highway deaths to the amount of turkey consumed.

Is there anyone calculating the really important stats related to the holiday? I'm wondering how many people felt the warm hospitality of local soup kitchens, churches and other helping agencies that offered a hot meal and a word of hope? Do you think I can find stats on the number of families that were reunited or whose age-old feuds were resolved during the past few days? Are there any numbers relating to those people who entered the holiday with no reason to be thankful but now have a grateful heart? Where are the numbers that inform us about the truely important happenings of a holiday called "Thanksgiving?"

Unfortunately, its difficult to keep such statistics. The folks who are the 'living stats' don't really have the time to chart such happenings because they're caught up in being thankful.

Hoping you had a great Thanksgiving.


Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Quote of the Day

"Doctrine is the last refuge for the woefully unimaginative."
Unknown

Is It So?

"When we are unable to measure that which is important, we assign importance to that which we can measure."

Worth Pondering

"Cleanliness becomes more important when Godliness is unlikely."
P.J. O'Rourke

From Sun to Snow

More than ever, I have some understanding of the concept behind the phrase, "A Man for All Seasons." Not in the way as portrayed by the movie, but more closely related to the change in weather. You see, for the past week I basked in the Caribbean sun that shone so brightly on the country of the Dominican Republic(DR). But today, a mere 24 hours following my arrival home, I was greeted by 6 inches of beautiful, fluffy snow.

Just a few days ago I was wearing shorts, flip-flops and seeking shade by the pool as a nice ocean breeze worked to keep me cool. Today I found comfort in boots, a coat, and a serious wrap around my head.

What a wonderful life. 'A tale of two cities' just might be a more accurate description of life after returning. The DR shares an island with Haiti, the poorest country of the western hemisphere. A border might stand as a divider of geography, but is not capable of containing extreme poverty and the lack of the most basic of life's neccessities.

How grateful I am today to reflect on an exciting experience of living with the Dominicans and enjoying the beauty of their country while relaxing in the comfort of a warm home and enjoying the snow.