Well, we are blessed with another Thanksgiving week, and all of us have a lot to be thankful for. I am blessed to have the opportunity to spend some time with my children and grandchildren - Daughter Jessica and Son-in-Law Bob and Son Reece & Daughter-in-Law Lisa, along with our grandchildren, Rachel, Davis, Patrick & Shea, and Tessa.

I am so PROUD of every one of them. They are what TRUE LOVE is all about, unconditional LOVE that knows no boundaries. And as if that weren't enough, we are all looking forward to Christmas when we will be together again, joined then by Granddaughter Little Emma and her mother Christie. Folks, let's count our blessings and let's remember to recognize and thank members of our wonderful families for bringing such tremendous joy into our lives.

It is often HOW we look at things that really make the difference. I am reminded of the story of the little blind boy who sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet and a sign that read, "I am blind, please help me." There were only a few coins in the hat when a man walked by, took some coins from his pocket, and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words on it.

He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words. Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came by to see how things were going.

The boy remembered the footsteps and asked, "Were you the man who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?" The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said, but in a different way. I added the words, 'Today is a beautiful day, but I can't see it.'" Both signs told people that the boy was blind, but the first sign simply said that he was blind. The second sign reminded people how blessed THEY were to be able to see.

We need to count our blessings every day, as in the words of that beautiful song, "When I'm worried and I can't sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep, and I fall asleep counting my blessings." We can all be so thankful to have been born in this great land of America. With so many things going on in our world, I believe it is appropriate to remember the words of a great author, Alan McIntosh, who said: "I'm a tired American. I'm tired of being called the Ugly American. I'm tired of having my country used as a whipping boy 365 days a year by the world's panhandlers who yank Uncle Sam's beard every time the flow of gold falters.

I'm weary of seeing American embassies and information centers stoned and burned by mobs acting under direct orders from dictators who preach peace but breed conflict. I'm an American who thanks a Merciful Lord that he was so lucky to born an American citizen, a nation under God, with truly justice and mercy for all."

AMEN!

And again, Happy Thanksgiving!