One of my favorite traditions on Thanksgiving is going around the table and listening to everyone give thanks for what they are grateful for this year.
I loved this part of my family’s tradition. Unfortunately, the years have gone by since then. People moved away and more accurately, people have passed away. The times have changed and this year has changed the face of society. However, it is right that we give thanks. It is right that we look for the details behind our gratitude. So, please, if you will allow me the moment of sappiness, then I will begin.

Now, be mindful, I am not speaking for everyone. I am not saying I am right or wrong. This is a note from experience. And mine might be different from yours but either way, here it goes . . .

Something we never pay attention to is it costs absolutely nothing to have a dream. There are no dues or hidden fees. There is no need to cancel anything if the dream changes.
In fact, the only price is the effort to make our dreams come true. And we all dream. We all have a scenario. We have hopes and visions.
We all have this place in our mind that imagines. There is a place in our heart and in our soul. This is the birthplace where a succession of ideas take on a sculpted creation. This results in the emotional creation of what this dream would be. The satisfaction is the fruits of our labor.

The most important lesson I learned is that much of what I was taught was inaccurate and wrong. Then again, it’s not so much the lesson but the teachers that steered me in the wrong direction. So, before any eye-rolling begins, there is a reason behind this post. This is half rant, half spew, and partly the need to get a thought off my chest because I see people talk about hate and violence and I wonder about their angle. I wonder about the lessons they’ve been taught or if they really know what hate or violence means.

Welcome to life.
There are so many different things to do and places to see. Although times will say differently and there will be moments like now and tough times will come, still, this is life.
Life is the smell of autumn, which is just outside the front door. Life is the smell of a good meal or moments so unforgettable that everything else becomes unobjectionable.

My apologies for this in advance. I say this because the subject below might include some sensitive material. But hey, this is why I come here.
Right?

There is one undefined and undiscussed truth about the life and the way that life happens to us. There are three parts of our life, which regardless of our lifespan are absolutely true.
There is a beginning. There is a middle and there is an end. In between that start and finish is the substance of our life.

Somewhere, deep inside of us is this voice
which may sound like a whisper sometimes.
But still, there is a voice within us all.
There is something deep down
and it is as pure as youth itself.

In fact this is so real and so raw
that its presence is sharp like a razor
And it cuts deeply sometimes.
It works this way
because this is the voice that knows better.

Let the record reflect that there will always be someone with something to say. There will always be someone out there, looking for the angle or looking for the cracks in your story. And people do this as if this is their job. They do this so they can discredit what they see and feel better about themselves. There will always be bullies. There will always be victims and there will always be volunteers. It is my goal, however, to be none of the above.

I am thinking about the smiles of people I know, which is funny because I hardly know them at all. I only know the impact they’ve had on me and the lessons I’ve learned from them.
For example, one of the best smiles I have ever seen was lent to me by a man that was much older. He was nearly toothless and gray-haired. It might be almost doubtful that he remembers me at all. But needless to say, I remember him very well.

Here we are. It’s another day on Project Earth. The sun is out after two days of steady rain. The leaves have changed and many have fallen from the trees and lay wet on the ground. This is time-appropriate for my place in New York. The winds are much cooler now, which, again, is appropriate for my side of the hemisphere.