A THANKSGIVING MESSAGE of GRATITUDE & GRACE

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A guest editorial by
FREEBO
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As we celebrate another Thanksgiving Holiday, I can't help reflecting on my good fortune to be living in this time in this amazing country called The United States Of America. Sure, we have our problems, and I will continue to be involved, aware, and active in helping to make this the best country it can be.
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But given the circumstances of birth, of souls finding their places in this realm, and of mine choosing this place and time to occupy this body, I am extremely grateful.
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I could have been born to a whole different set of parents, family, and circumstances in Afghanistan or some other not-so-well-off country. I could have been born at a time without the miracles of modern medicine, dead and gone from some now common and very treatable disease.
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But destiny put me here at this most exciting and important time in human history.
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We are indeed at a crossroads...many crossroads, in fact. There are significant choices to be made that will greatly effect the future of this country and perhaps of Mankind in general.
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We can argue and debate or exchange views of where we should or could go from here, and there are certainly many opinions, schools of thought, and pure dogma. We seem to spend most of our time and energy focusing on our differences, and it has greatly divided us as a country and as a People. The result has been anger, acrimony, and separation...and it serves only the talking heads who make a very good living feeding The Great Divide, certainly not the country as a whole.
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The good news, and the point of this Thanksgiving message, is that we all have so many choices at this amazing time in history in this incredible country.
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I can choose to focus on the similarities and not the differences. I can celebrate the fact that I have so much freedom of choice, and I can allow that freedom to live my life from a place of gratitude and grace. I can choose to come from a place of love, kindness, and acceptance, not from a place of anger, hatred, and separation. I can choose to have compassion and empathy for those less fortunate than I, rather than to blame them for their circumstances.
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And I can follow the true teachings of Jesus: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you", and "Love Thy Neighbor".
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We all can!
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Besides the delicious turkey dinner many of us will be fortunate to enjoy, there is so much more to be grateful for this Thanksgiving. There are the close friendships we have, the many opportunities to forge new and exciting relationships with folks of opposite views, and the deep love of family and strengthening those familial ties.
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I am so lucky to live at this time, to be healthy at this moment, to have the gift of music, to be able to share it with so many of you, to have so many of you beautiful and supportive friends in my life.
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With all this in mind, I will do my best to celebrate this Thanksgiving with gratitude and grace. Won't you join me! -- Peace, FREEBO
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The current edition of the Acoustic Americana Music Guide has listings of notable “Music on TV” offerings for Thursday and Friday. It’s available just below or in the sidebar at left, depending on which edition you are reading. We’ll be back, in time for you to make plans to enjoy the live music scene Friday evening and through the weekend. Until then, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
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