The harvest is in and the holidays are upon us. Americans, despite the world at large, can (and I hope do) find reasons for thanks.
It’s supposed to be our way, that despite troubles and turmoils, we look heavenward with gratitude.
After all, things could be worse, so maybe it’s time to count our blessings and move on to make a better tomorrow.
Why wallow in despair for what might have been?
My mother used to say, the world isn’t going to end and the sun will come up tomorrow — get up and make the most of it.
The Pilgrims of fame could have packed it in and all jumped off Plymouth Rock back into the Atlantic. But they didn’t, so here we are.
Some facts I looked up on Thanksgiving. The first Thanksgiving was in 1621.
In 1861, President Lincoln declared a day of Thanksgiving to be late in the month of November. In the 1930s, President FDR hammered the day down to the fourth Thursday of the month.
Hey, did you know there are nine other countries in the world who have similar celebrations? Yup, according to a 2016 Wall Street Journal article, Canada, China, Germany, Grenada, Japan, Norfolk Island (East Australia), South Korea, Liberia and Vietnam all celebrate their own reasons for giving thanks.
So . . . What am I for?

I am thankful for opportunity to raise two fine boys, namely Shamus McDonald Rush and Sean Theodore Rush.
I am thankful for Shamus’ and Sean’s love and I pray I can live up to their expectations and guide them into manhood.
I am thankful stray dogs can find warmth and love and be a part of the pack in our home.
I am thankful for having good neighbors.
I am thankful for the mourning doves that nest in our porch and for their morning coos.
I am thankful for John Wayne movies and the mythical men he portrayed. Even if the real man did not live up to snuff, the ideals of love, loyalty, honesty and patriotism are still worthy.
I am thankful for the opportunities to turn negatives into positives; to right wrongs; and to fix those problems which come my way.
I am thankful for the internet — without it I wouldn’t have instant information on fixing many of the problems that come my way (namely leaking, broken, old and in need of repair home-stuff). I guess it’s a blessing and a curse, so I will endeavor to use it for good.
I am thankful for the Jim Sherman family for allowing me to provide for my family that which they need — shelter, food, clothing and most of all a father that can spend time with his own family.
I am thankful for the opportunity to write, to entertain and evoke emotion of people I have never met nor spoken to.
I am thankful that even when I am cranky, a jerk or a bore, my friends and family still like me.
I am thankful for when a local critter decides to “take care of business” in my yard, that I still have two hands, arms and legs to clean up said business.
I am thankful for every person who has ever been placed before me (for good or ill). I pray I have grown to be a better man because of those experiences.
I am thankful there are still brave souls who are willing to sacrifice their lives for the ideals enumerated by our founding fathers.
I am thankful some comic book author wrote: Truth, justice and the American way. And, another who penned, “With great power comes great responsibility.”
I am thankful that despite the Patriot Act, most Americans can still take verbal shots at the sitting president and government and not be “silenced.”
I am thankful there are service groups in the community full of volunteers.
I am thankful those volunteers are working to make our communities a better place to live.
I am thankful thousands of locals give to local charities so that the less fortunate can get a break.
I am thankful the Detroit Lions only play 16 games a year and not more. Man, are they hard to watch.
So, again . . . what are you thankful for?
Send your comments, thoughts, concerns or ideas to DontRushDon@gmail.com.

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