Don’t restrict being thankful to just one day
To the Editor:
Thanksgiving is now in the rearview mirror, but giving thanks shouldn’t be restricted to just one day.
Thus, today I give thanks. Not just for a good meal, but for the chance to enjoy it with people who enjoyed it with me, and for the people whose hard work provided it.
Today, I give thanks. Not just for family, but also the friends who have become part of my family, and the parts of my family that I don’t see as often as I’d like to.
Today, I give thanks. Not just for the sunny skies that brighten my days, but also for the rains that nourish the life and the land around us.
Today, I give thanks. Not just for the things that bring me happiness, but also for the things that challenge me, and for the happiness I gain from the lessons they teach me.
Today, I give thanks. Not just for the ability to have a safe and happy home, but also for the opportunity to help others to create the same for themselves.
Today, I give thanks. Not just for my own freedom to think and to express myself and to worship in a way that brings me fulfillment, but also for that same freedom for others to do the same in their own unique ways, and for the possibilities of freedom for those who may not have it today.
Today, I give thanks. Not just for the abundance of blessings in my life, but also for the knowledge that we always have everything we need, and the opportunities to achieve what we want, and the ability to share our abundance wherever it is needed.
Today, I give thanks. Not just for the beautiful mountains and valleys that surround me, but also the peaks and valleys we experience in this life that give us the perspective to appreciate all we have.
Today, I give thanks. Not just for this life I have been blessed with, but also for the lives who have brought us where we are today, and for the lives of those yet to come.
Today, I give thanks. Not just to God and nature around me, but to the God and nature that express in each one of us, and makes us a part of a special world family on this wondrous planet we call home.
Today, I give thanks.
Mark Stein, Webster
Three branches to serve We, the People
To the Editor:
A college football coach will tell you there are three basic units that comprise a football team: offense, defense and special teams. That same coach will also tell you that they are not separate from each other. They all get analyzed by their fan base. By their coaches. They get derided by opposing teams. Still, this goes on with hundreds of teams – there is no national team.
Consider this, however: The U.S. Constitution provides for three branches of government. All three are designed to provide equal services/protection to all Americans. They appear to be separate from each other. But they overlap, as in a three-lobed Venn diagram, in the center. That center is the American people. All Americans have one team. They must work for the good of all.
Former President Donald Trump has become an expert at playing one branch against the other. Even worse, he plays them against the American people to create chaos and confusion.
The Department of Justice is investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Dozens of rioters have already been prosecuted and sentenced for their dangerous roles. Yet, Donald Trump has refused to tell any investigative body whether he played a part in staging the riot/insurrection and/or failing to stop it. This is where Trump thumbs his nose at the American people – the people he was/is supposed to serve.
The Constitution links all elected and appointed officials with the people. Surely the Constitutional framers did not intend for elected officials to separate themselves from the people as Trump has. His refusal to testify suggests he did something he should not have done or failed to do something he should have (or both) while in office.
Will Trump eventually answer to the three branches of American government? Will he answer to the American people? We will see!
Dave Waldrop, Webster
