April's Musings

Tuesday, November 22, 2005
"Thanksgiving" is such a wonderful word


It keeps us mindful of what there is to be thankful for, as well as what we can give, particularly when the bounty of the earth is in all its autumnal plentitude. Thanksgiving harks back to the tradition in North America of sharing the harvest with others and storing for winter ahead.

In Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated in early October. We have many family memories of turkey cooked in our unheated chalet, with everyone clustered near the stove keeping warm from the steam of cooking vegetables.

These days we celebrate Thanksgiving in November, but often in the tropics, where we do not shiver, but enjoy the warm trade winds, with a turkey on the beach and under the stars.

Wherever you are, and however you celebrate Thanksgiving, it is a time for gratitude for the bountiful harvests we enjoy. It signifies a return: to the home, to family, and to friends. And at a time when we have so much to celebrate, it is also the best time to give.

Many people will volunteer at local shelters and contribute food to local organizations. Generous hearts will give to one another and to ones they do not know. It is great good fortune to be a giver—especially at Thanksgiving and throughout the holidays.

If you would like to give back internationally, please consider the Giving World this year. The Giving World is a foundation created to give a hand-up to those in need. It is an organization that, through Concern India, reaches out to more than 16 different groups in India. Through the Giving World, Cornell Trading sponsors street schools, a school for first-generation learners, a center for the elderly, daycare centers on construction sites, homes for children at risk, and homes for the children of sex workers.

Last year around this time, I had the pleasure of visiting a new project—a micro-enterprise project where, in a "widow village," women are given an opportunity to create their own financial independence through goatery (the raising of goats), raising poultry, and tending kitchen gardens. In the process they find a sense of confidence. Through raising one goat, and then two, and then four, they learn about expenses, profits, banking, and insurance. They become contributors in the local economy and create examples of success in their own community.

At this project, in rural Rajasthan, India, a dynamic project leader explained in great detail the workings of the income-generating ideas. The potential for change was breathtaking, as is the absolute financial beauty of the model.

In a green kitchen garden, while I was proudly being shown watermelons and gourds, cucumbers, and some mysterious green vegetable, I was handed a small earthenware cup of tea. It was sweet and had the beautiful taste of the village clay with which it was made. Looking at the smiling, proud, delightful faces around me, I thought, "This may be the sweetest cup of tea I ever have."

This year, as we enter the "thankful" season, drink your own sweet tea with someone meaningful. Share your own sweet life with the world.

A poem for you...