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It was a wonderful Thanksgiving for my family this year. Both my daughters were able to come home and our family was complete for the first time in 3 years I believe. In the past couple of years, one or both of my daughters were working through the holidays so I really enjoyed this Thanksgiving. There is nothing more special than spending time with loved ones sharing the day and a great meal. After such an amazing day, the craziness of Black Friday that has been shown all day on the news totally blows my mind.
Somewhere along the line, the tradition of enjoying the holidays has been taken over by mindless shopping for items no one really needs. Seriously how many $1.79 towels do we need to fight over at WalMart? For me, shopping is not my idea of fun anyway but to think people camp out to shop for crap on Thanksgiving is enough to make me itch.
After my kids left, I decided to sit down and see if there were any old holiday movies on TV that I had not seen in a while – a nice way to end a perfect day. I actually ended up on Michael Jackson’s “This Is It.” What a profound view this man had of the world. The end of the show closed with the “Earth Song.” This is the opening verse:
What about sunrise
What about rain
What about all the things
That you said we were to gain…
What about killing fields
Is there a time
What about all the things
That you said was yours and mine…
Did you ever stop to notice
All the blood we’ve shed before
Did you ever stop to notice
This crying Earth this weeping shores?
Michael Jackson wrote this song in 1996 and unfortunately almost 20 years later, not much has changed. The news today reflected fights in discount store chains by people who are wracking up additional debt on their credit cards. Tension in the far east with China as the country tries to expand it’s air zone into international territory. Refugees living in tents in Lebanon. And 1 out of 6 kids in the USA go hungry every day. IN THE USA.
This essay is in no way meant to be a downer on the day after Thanksgiving. What it is meant to do is to bring awareness to how much the world hasn’t changed. There is power in numbers. If one by one, we show by example, we can be the change this world needs very much. Don’t buy that latest gadget – the one you have now is not that old. You don’t need a new TV, the old one works. Recycle as many items as possible and choose to buy rehabbed products for your home. Take the change out of your pocket and donate it an organization that needs it. Spend time volunteering. Little by little, we CAN make a difference. Let’s do this.
Blessings,
Denise
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