"You are very lucky to live in this country."
We had a block party yesterday and welcomed a couple of new families to our street. I spent some time talking to a lovely woman who, with her family, immigrated here from Ukraine. What she said nearly brought tears to my eyes. It is worth sharing.
She spoke often of how we had taken special, natural places and preseved them. Ukraine has beautiful places but the people have done nothing to keep them open and available for the citizens to enjoy. My neighbor was amazed at all the state and national parks we have. She spoke specifically about Illinois Beach State Park, Devil's Lake in Wisconsin, and Niagara Falls. The family is already planning trips for next summer.
What else do we have? Blue water. In Ukraine, the water is brown. Here the water is fresh; there the large bodies of water are salty. We take it for granted; she thinks it is amazing.
We do not appreciate what we have until we see it through another person's eyes. As my new neighbor spoke, I silently thanked all the "tree huggers" who fight so hard to keep the Great Lakes blue and the trees in Devil's Lake State Park green. She admires Americans for taking care of the natural gifts we have. Little does she know how difficult that has been to accomplish.
Monday, September 21, 2015
Sunday, January 4, 2015
No News is Good News?
The holiday season is over and, as I went through our cards one last time, I was struck by how many friends no longer include a letter or even a brief note. Receiving a card indicates friends are still alive and photo cards show how the kids have grown but that's about it. No news at all. So I have a message for people who send photo cards or just imprint their names:
Guess what - I am interested in your kids because they are yours but I am friends with you! What happened to you in 2014? How's your job? Do you still have a job? What did you do besides work? Did you take a vacation? Where did you go? Did you get or lose a pet? How are your folks?
Want to talk about the kids? OK - how are they really? Do they like school? Do they still play football or tennis or have they moved on to new interests? Are they dating?
Friends come and go and the holidays are a time when we realize that distance is not always measured in miles. So I will trust that 2014 was a good year for all those who didn't tell me otherwise and hope that 2015 is even better.
As for 2015 holiday greeting cards, I will have to ponder whether or not to send them to those who didn't include a note in the 2014 card or otherwise communicate during the year. Maybe I'll send just an e-card? That seems fair. What do you think?
Guess what - I am interested in your kids because they are yours but I am friends with you! What happened to you in 2014? How's your job? Do you still have a job? What did you do besides work? Did you take a vacation? Where did you go? Did you get or lose a pet? How are your folks?
Want to talk about the kids? OK - how are they really? Do they like school? Do they still play football or tennis or have they moved on to new interests? Are they dating?
Friends come and go and the holidays are a time when we realize that distance is not always measured in miles. So I will trust that 2014 was a good year for all those who didn't tell me otherwise and hope that 2015 is even better.
As for 2015 holiday greeting cards, I will have to ponder whether or not to send them to those who didn't include a note in the 2014 card or otherwise communicate during the year. Maybe I'll send just an e-card? That seems fair. What do you think?
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Yup. It's the holiday season. I noticed it just after Labor Day and it was in full swing by November 1. The stores were outfitted in their annual red and green. Television and radio stations started holiday-themed programming. Even Black Friday was moved ahead. The first ad for it was in July.
There are a number of rants about the loss of the holiday season. Most people, when surveyed, say retailers start too early yet many of us support that by shopping on Thanksgiving and, frankly, our wallets speak much louder than words.
There are conflicting messages this time of year. The media tells us how to cook a turkey and decorate the table while at the same time it encourages us to forsake the meal and go shopping instead. We see stories about sharing and fellowship coupled with headlines about people being fired for trying to honor Thanksgiving.
What does "Christmas creep" say about us as a nation and a society? What are we telling ourselves, our children, and others in the world? That money is more important than family and friends? Our desire for things outweighs our need for togetherness? The only thing we have to be thankful for is our credit cards? That a roasted bird and some whipped potatoes aren't nearly as much fun as shopping?
I suggest we remove Thanksgiving from the calendar and replace it with a national shopping day. There would still be no mail delivery and most offices would closed so that people can shop. That would add a full day to the all-important shopping season. Wouldn't that make more sense than the pretense we now have? It would certainly be more honest.
There are a number of rants about the loss of the holiday season. Most people, when surveyed, say retailers start too early yet many of us support that by shopping on Thanksgiving and, frankly, our wallets speak much louder than words.
There are conflicting messages this time of year. The media tells us how to cook a turkey and decorate the table while at the same time it encourages us to forsake the meal and go shopping instead. We see stories about sharing and fellowship coupled with headlines about people being fired for trying to honor Thanksgiving.
What does "Christmas creep" say about us as a nation and a society? What are we telling ourselves, our children, and others in the world? That money is more important than family and friends? Our desire for things outweighs our need for togetherness? The only thing we have to be thankful for is our credit cards? That a roasted bird and some whipped potatoes aren't nearly as much fun as shopping?
I suggest we remove Thanksgiving from the calendar and replace it with a national shopping day. There would still be no mail delivery and most offices would closed so that people can shop. That would add a full day to the all-important shopping season. Wouldn't that make more sense than the pretense we now have? It would certainly be more honest.
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