Nov 22, 2012
Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on what’s right with the world. To express gratitude for our fortunes large and small. As we gather around crowded tables full of family and friends and a bountiful feast, we will one by one tell our own versions of thanksgiving, what each of us is grateful for.
But what if you’re not grateful for your circumstances? What if you’re homeless or jobless or you feel helpless in the world? What if certain issues eat at you every second?
What then? What if “thanks” is something you feel ill equipped to give?
This has been a good year for me personally. But for many of my fellow vets who’ve returned home to enter an frightening job market – who can’t find work even though they may be better qualified than their college-graduated counterparts who do – what is there to be thankful for?
So this Thanksgiving, here is what I’m NOT grateful for:
I am not grateful for the many vets who live on the streets without a place to go for a warm meal.
I am not grateful for the many adversities people with PTS have to deal with on a daily basis.
I am not grateful for an economy that is taking way too long to recover.
I am not grateful for the rising price of gas, transportation and rent that have made daily challenges even more stressful.
Certainly, today is a day to put aside ingratitude and give thanks. But we cannot allow our good fortune to cause us to forget those in our own communities with little or nothing. Those who struggle every day just to get by. For them, Thanksgiving is a challenge. And giving thanks even more so.
