giving thanks for what we have
TRANSCRIPT
7/30/2019 Giving Thanks for What We Have
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It’s cold in here, and dark. I
can feel the change in the sea-
sons coming. Last night the
wind blew hard under the
door, bringing with it bits of
leaves or twigs, and some-
times the cold hard rain. I
could see flashes of light
through the cracks and heard
booms of thunder like rifle
shots. I know it was just a late
autumn storm, but somehow,
being locked in here, it all
seems much more scary.
Life was so much better
when I had freedom, freedom
to run, stretch, eat and then
sleep in the warm summer
sun. What did I do that was so
horrible they had to lock me
up? They gave me the best
food I could possibly want. I
ate all of that and maybe even
took some from my neighbors
that they didn’t want. Is that
why they locked me up,
because I ate so much?
Not possible. Look, they’re
still shoving that great stuff
under my door. Can I help it if
I get fat now? After all, I can’t
move much, closed in this tiny
room. It really is a great place
to eat without worrying about
the others…and sleep…and maybe even get fat and lazy.
Just miss the fresh air.
Hey, I think I hear someone
coming. I must have been in
here for days now. Are they
finally going to let me out?
Yes. But they’re putting a hood
over my head. I can’t see
where they’re taking me, and
this hood’s still stuffy.
Suddenly, everything is black,
gone. I’m not thinking any-
more.
Hope you enjoyed my
spoof. It took me back to a
short story I wrote literally
decades ago. My aunt had this
great closet that went back
into the eves of their old home.
Buried in the back in “old
paper” smelling boxes were
really old comic books that I
loved. Some of them with real-
ly spooky stories. I developed
my short story from one of
those books. Wish I still had
them. They would be worth a
fortune.
By now, all of you are prob-
ably guessing that beginning
sequence was about a special
“turkey.” For him the terror of
Thanksgiving meant an end to
his life. Some of you would
save the life of the turkey, and
feast on foods that had not
been animals. Others rejoice
and give thanks for the life of
the animal, and the sustenance
it will provide their family. I’m
not here to judge, but to help
you get through some of the
other terrors of Thanksgiving.
What scares you the most?
Are you really terrified of the
upcoming feast/family day? If
so, is it the feast or the family
that terrifies you most? Here
are some simple ways around
the scary parts, so that you can
actually enjoy your holiday. If
you get them too late to use for
Thanksgiving, tuck them in
with your decorations and
remember the rules at
Christmas, or your next spe-
cial holiday. If you feel more
angst than thanks or joy in the
season, something is wrong.
• Identify stressors, whether
human or otherwise, and put
them as far away as possible.
• Set your intended mood at
the beginning of the day. This
won’t always hold, but it’s a
start.
• Bring only real food to the
table, season it with real
spices, and some of your lov-
ing care…everyone will bene-
fit, and it’ll smell WONDER-
FUL!
4.Ask for help BEFORE
you need it. Everyone should
help with the feast and share
the fun.
5.Create your own tradition
of the season: make it one of
harmony and health, some
quiet times, some laughter, but
most of all the joy of having
the ones you care about safely
there with you…others are not
so lucky.
6.Get up and MOVE a least
a little before the “turkey”
isn’t the only thing stuffed and
comatose. Dessert can wait till
there’s a little more room.
• Take time to help someone
who you don’t expect to pay
you back, either just before the
day or during.This day is real-
ly about appreciating what we
have. Pass it on to someone
else.
“Thanksgiving was never
meant to be shut up in a single
day.” — Robert Casper
Lintner
Linda Cook is a gold certi-
fied advanced health and fit-
ness specialist, one of 11 f inal-
ists in the LifeFitness/ACE
2011 “Personal Trainers to
Watch” contest, and owner of
Your Personal Best fitness
training studio. She has
worked with hundreds of
clients over the last 20 years,
teaching them to stay pain-
free through movement, recov-
er or prepare for surgery, or
just connect their mind to their
body again. More information
about Your Personal Best can
be found at www.ypbinc.com.
Contact Linda at 937-748-
9208, or email
[email protected] with any
questions or comments.
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Letter to the Editor Policy
Thanksgiving to me began at age five
in kindergarten with pictures of Indians,
Pilgrims and a fat turkey that had no idea
that he was about to be selected as thefirst Thanksgiving meal and the symbol
of such forever.
Our country tis of thee, sweet land of
liberty pauses on the fourth Thursday of
November each year to say thank you for
all that we have tangible and intangible.
To thank God for a country of freedom,
education for all and the opportunity to
live in peace and harmony (most of the
time) with our neighbors.
We have many to thank, from our
founding fathers, parents that gave us life,
to those that recognized a particular talent
and encouraged us to work harder and
stronger to make that ability something
that could help and enrich others in life’s
journey. A simple compliment said at the
right time will skyrocket a child or a teensdreams and hopes.
Every successful person I’ve ever met
has related a story about a teacher, friend,
parent, that turned their life right s ide up
with one simple encouraging statement:
“That was amazing, your creativity, self-
lessness and talent in that particular
field/subject was unbelievable … don’t
stop now.” Maybe not in those words but
in a similar expression. We all want to
hear that we did good. Once good arrives,
better’s in close proximity, and then with
a great work ethic, care, concern and dis-
cipline one arrives at best.
I’m reminded at the moment of that
young 14-year-old girl in Pakistan that
was shot in the head by the Taliban
because she wanted an education. She
didn’t want a cell phone, a video game,
nice clothes, cosmetics, or money. I envi-
sion that young girl, presently recovering
in a hospital in England, as a doctor or
attorney someday.
Thank yous go out to so many people
in our walk through life. We can’t send
them all humorous turkey cards. We can
post on Facebook, make phone calls, send text messages and visit those we hold
special. We can offer a prayer of thanks to
almighty God for life itself and all those
that have touched us during our years.
The good, the bad, the indifferent, all had
something to do with who we are and
where we are today.
I know there’s two football games to
watch and then Black Friday’s starting
early this year, and several new movies
are being released this weekend and so
much more.
I want to give thanks to the students at
Lytle Five Points elementary school, third
grade class of Cammie Roark. Each of
these youngsters, ages eight and nine,
took the time to send the mayor and I a
thank-you letter for taping our current
edition November/December of
Springboro 45066 in their classroom with
their participation. While it’s impossibleto showcase all of them here, I do want to
share one that really speaks to the creativ-
ity and professionalism of the entire
class.
Dear Mr. Wright:
You are super nice for letting us be on
your show Springboro 45066 !!! I am
super happy and excited to see my class
on TV. I call it hapcited! Oh yeah, I’m
reporting to you live, well on a note. It is
so cool because all of this began when
Caeden invited you to our class room for
star of the week. That’s AMAZING! I
enjoyed meeting Joe and the Mayor. You
and them are funny. Thank you, thank
you, thank you. It was really fun for me to
sit by you and the MAYOR! I was the first
toss! My class had a bunch of fun! But Iknow I had more fun! I enjoyed being on
your TV show it was fun. Thank you!
I loved all the exclamation marks and
excitement in this young person’s
remarks. Thank you for being a terrific
class. I leave you with this wonderful
piece by Melody Beattie. Gratitude
unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what
we have into enough, and more. It turns
denial into acceptance, chaos to order,
confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal
into a feast, a house into a home, a
stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes
sense of our past, brings peace for today
and creates a vision for tomorrow.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
Giving thanks for what we haveMERGE WRIGHT
B
y Don W
right
Times
Columnist
‘Quote’ ‘Quote’ T
he year that is
drawingtowards its
close, has been filledwith the blessings of fruitful fields andhealthful skies. Tothese bounties, whichare so constantlyenjoyed that we areprone to forget thesource from whichthey come, others havebeen added, which areof so extraordinary anature, that they can-not fail to penetrate
and soften even the heart which is habituallyinsensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.
In the midst of a civil war of unequaled mag-nitude and severity, which has sometimesseemed to foreign States to invite and to pro-voke their aggression, peace has been pre-served with all nations, order has been main-tained, the laws have been respected andobeyed, and harmony has prevailed every-where except in the theatre of military con-flict; while that theatre has been greatly con-tracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.
Needful diversions of wealth and of strengthfrom the fields of peaceful industry to thenational defence, have not arrested the plough,the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlargedthe borders of our settlements, and the mines,as well of iron and coal as of the precious met-als, have yielded even more abundantly thanheretofore. Population has steadily increased,notwithstanding the waste that has been made
in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; andthe country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted toexpect continuance of years with largeincrease of freedom.
No human counsel hath devised nor hath anymortal hand worked out these great things.They are the gracious gifts of the Most HighGod, who, while dealing with us in anger forour sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.It has seemed to me fit and proper that theyshould be solemnly, reverently and gratefullyacknowledged as with one heart and one voiceby the whole American People.
I do therefore invite my fellow citizens inevery part of the United States, and also thosewho are at sea and those who are sojourning inforeign lands, to set apart and observe the lastThursday of November next, as a day of
Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficentFather who dwelleth in the Heavens.And I recommend to them that while offering
up the ascriptions justly due to Him for suchsingular deliverances and blessings, they doalso, with humble penitence for our nationalperverseness and disobedience, commend toHis tender care all those who have becomewidows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in thelamentable civil strife in which we areunavoidably engaged, and fervently implorethe interposition of the Almighty Hand to healthe wounds of the nation and to restore it assoon as may be consistent with the Divine pur-poses to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony,tranquillity and Union.
- Pres. Abrah
am Lincoln, Oct. 3, 1863
(Editor’s note - this column is pub-
lished posthumously for Thomas J. Turkey,
a fighter for fowl rights. By the way, he
was delicious!)
As you read this, I am probably roast-
ing in an oven somewhere, soon to
become the centerpiece of someone’s
Thanksgiving dinner.
If so, I would plead for amnesty for my
brethren. If not — please save my neck!!
I am calling for all birds, not just turkeys
to join “Occupy Thanksgiving.”
For most of the year, we turkeys are the
kings of the barnyard. We rule. But asautumn approaches, the respect we get
from the other fowl begins to disappear.
Even the chickens begin to snicker when
they go by. The ducks and geese have
been known to say “I hope you can carve
a nice future for yourself…” before burst-
ing into laughter and heading off to the
pond where I can’t chase them.
Why do you want to eat a big bird that
doesn’t really have much flavor until you
add the gravy? It’s not OUR fault that we
go so well with stuffing and cranberry
sauce! And don’t forget that eating turkey
always makes you fall asleep after the
meal.
But there are alternatives you should
consider that won’t put you into slumber-
land.
Wouldn’t a nice, succulent ham, or maybe a standing rib roast be more deli-
cious? How about a roasted lamb with
that mint jelly?
But no — it’s always turkey. You don’t
know how it is. I mean, I’d like to watch
the football games on Thanksgiving, too.
My brother said it was nothing to lose my
head over and I told him that’s exactly
what’s going to happen!
I saw the farmer walking toward me
last week and he said “Tom, old boy, I’m
going to axe you something…”
I responded “Do you mean ‘ask’?”
He grinned… “Uh… no…”
I guess that’s what they call “murder
most fowl.”
When I was just a poult (that’s what
they call us when we’re babies) I saw a
cute female turkey. I said “Hey, chick…
wanna go out?” Her mom stepped in,
however… she said “His kind never stick
around more than a year.”
As I got a little older, I noticed my
buddies and I were putting on a lot of
weight. I tried to join a gym, but my feet
wouldn’t reach the pedals on the station-
ary bike.
I’m tired of being told to not get my
feathers ruffled. I’m mad as heck and I’mnot going to take it anymore!
Over the years, the President of the
United States has seen fit to spare one of
us. I think that is a wonderful trend that
should be repeated across the nation.
What we turkeys need is a lobbyist in
Washington. Right now, when someone
mentions turkey to those guys, they think
of a country like many that is fighting ter-
rorism. Yet, we turkeys in America are
terrorized each year.
If I survive 2012, I am planning to start
a PAC, financed by the beef industry, that
will bring equal rights to turkeys.
Freedom for Meleagris gallopavo!
Turkeys unite - save yourselvesCOMMENTARY
BY THOMAS J.
TURKEY
Delicious with mashed potatoes and gravy
Experiencing the terror of ThanksgivingLinda
Cook
Full
Circle
Wellness