To be surrounded by family, my Thanksgiving wish for everyone.

Ah! on Thanksgiving day, when from East and from West,
From North and South, come the pilgrim and guest,
When the gray-haired New Englander sees round his board
The old broken links of affection restored,
When the care-wearied man seeks his mother once more,
And the worn matron smiles where the girl smiled before.
What moistens the lips and what brightens the eye?
What calls back the past, like the rich pumpkin pie?
- John Greenleaf Whittier, "The Pumpkin"

There is something truly special about this holiday. It gathers us in ways that are remarkable and lend to some of the best memories of love one could hope to have.

Some of the most honored memories of my childhood are of the gatherings held at my grandparents home on Thanksgiving Day. We watched the Macy's Parade. We ate and ate and ate. We laughed and talked. We had fun. We were reminded that though we were often far apart, we were still together in spirit. We were reminded of the gift of family.

When you are surrounded by your loved ones this Thanksgiving Day, think of what life would be like if you were missing just one of its members. What if there were no family with which you could celebrate at all? The holiday would lack any glimmer. And life would seem less full.

Tomorrow, it is my sincere hope that everyone watches floats enter Times Square, hollers for their favored football team, eats a large meal, and most of all, enjoys the company of family. Be thankful of them.

Some will be gathering with strangers tomorrow. There are many who, tomorrow of all days, will be without their families, whether because they are fighting overseas or because dire circumstances has landed them in crowds of others less fortunate.

And if you can spare a few dollars, consider helping another get a meal as good as the one you will be sharing with your family. Many shelters and food pantries are strapped this holiday season. If you can spare even a little, maybe everyone will eat tomorrow.

Another day of thanks

See how many are better off than you are, but consider how many are worse. - Seneca

This year has been especially trying for Americans and the citizens of many other countries. The credit crunch, numbers of foreclosed homes, and the increased numbers of the unemployed - we hear more and more of these things on the news every day. You need only flip on CNN for a few moments and bad news of the economy comes flooding in.

Some of us are feeling the effects of these things more than others. To those who feel the fear of loss, I can only remind them to keep faith in a sound and happy future. And look to your neighbors, friends, others in your community. Are they worse off? Could they use even the smallest helping hand?

It's so easy to hand out blame during bad times. There are still multi-millionaires out there who can not only stand on their own two feet, but have surrounded themselves in lifestyles of luxury that many of us cannot even conceive of.

Still, for all that are better off than you are now, there are countless others out there who can be counted as having it so much worse. If you aren't worrying about what you can afford to eat tonight, then carry some canned items to a food pantry. If you have a roof over your head at night, consider dropping some change into the kettle that will ensure one for another.

If you still have so much to be thankful for, the ability to help someone else can only be added to that. And when there are times when you feel you have nothing to give, consider a smile or a word of encouragement. Sometimes, that is more than enough.

Practicing Compassion

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. - Dalai Lama

It's that time of year again - the red kettle army is manning their stations in front of grocery stores and mall entrances, in hopes of obtaining much needed funds for programs helping people in numerous ways: from drug and alcohol rehabilitation to disaster relief. The Salvation Army is an institution that has been working hard for the betterment of poverty-stricken people since 1865. And that continues today, advancing into a new world by promoting their online Red Kettle. Already, I've donated quite a bit to the Salvation Army as I walk into a local grocery store (literally every time, which is at least four or five times since the first). Even when it seems there isn't any more to give, there is. And I feel good every time I do this. There are people who walk past very quickly, pretending not to notice. I once was one of those people, and the guilt of not sparing even some change stayed with me. This guilt is, of course, easily rectified.

In the most recent issue of Energy Times, the headline reads, "The Goodness of Giving". Of course, you'll notice from the cover that these words are overshadowed by the flashy, famous couple (the picture speaks for itself). Still, after reading the article within, you realize how absolutely important it is to be a participant in altruistic acts, and not just for the receiver of said acts.

Studies have proven that by participating in acts of kindness, positive emotions impact your physical body in a very real way. That good feeling you get from doing these selfless acts, whether it be delivering household items to your local Goodwill or volunteering time to the YMCA or other organizations, is actually helping you to become or stay healthy and happy, as well as giving you a sense of satisfaction.

In my first post last week, I wrote of the importance of giving. What you will notice is that once you've given of yourself, whether monetarily or through other means, the more you will desire to do it again. So, with that thought in mind, let the inspiration you receive today not rest in anything I write, but rather lie in your own personal act of random kindness.

Note: If you want to start with your own donation to the Salvation Army, consider clicking the Red Kettle to the right. I've made a goal of raising $250 this holiday season. Please help me reach this goal. Even a small amount is worthwhile. Thank you!

The value of helping, giving

Never look down on anybody unless you're helping him up. - Jesse Jackson

I was lucky enough this weekend to happen upon a TV program called "Giving is Good", which was an initiative of the Feed the Children organization. It reminded me of some things that I and others have observed in the last couple of years.

My mother, a nurse, has told me horror stories lately of the elderly persons who end up in her care for one reason or another. But one of the saddest was this:

There was an old woman who had sold her house so that she might live comfortably off the proceeds for the remainder of her life. Unfortunately, her social security and medicare only covered so much and she was constantly dipping into the money that should have lasted much longer. She told my mother that she had informed her children that she only had enough money to last her two more years, and then she wanted to die. Mom was distraught because she knows this woman only needs to turn off her oxygen and go to sleep. A peaceful death that timing chooses.

Watching programming like "Giving is Good" puts the devastation worldwide on display, giving us a view of life that is degrees worse. Thinking of Kenya, or Darfur, or South Africa, it's easy to place the needy in a nice little box of circumstances that happens to "those" people, in another place, in another time. They aren't us. We aren't them. No, we have it better. We are better.

Are we?

A few months ago, there was a report on 60 Minutes about Remote Area Medical - an organization that started with dropping medical supplies into remote Third World regions. Now, they hold free mass clinics in the Tennessee/North Carolina/Kentucky/Virginia area for people without health insurance, are underinsured, and have been turned away by mainstream medical organizations. The people who come in droves to these weekend events held in schools and fairgrounds are the desperate. There is nowhere else to turn.

The man behind RAM, as it is called, Stan Brock has given everything he has to his organization, down to his own livelihood. Living in an old school, it wasn't until this last year that he had running water in his home. He doesn't take a wage from the charity. He has donated everything he had, including an old plane, to the cause. And all he asks is for people to participate, to donate a few dollars here or there, to volunteer.

Because of the 60 Minutes report, money came in the thousands, leading to expansions. It shows that people are good. They simply need to know how to direct it, where they are needed, and that they have something to give.

We were in Rochester, MN a couple months ago for a birthday party. If you've ever been there, you know that Rochester, while not overwhelmed with rich people, isn't a haven of the destitute under normal circumstances. We were stopped at a light, waiting to turn, when we saw a man, not dirty or drunk, and probably not homeless (yet), who was holding a sign that read "Need money - please help". He was edging into senior status and could not even look anyone in the eyes, merely kept his head down unless someone, like my mother, could get his attention to hand him a couple bills.

All I could think of was how devastating it must be to have to resort to begging.

And then I would think of the people who look away, trying to pretend they don't see what they most definitely do. Many, many cars passed him. Their drivers look down on people like him, thinking "Get a job" or "This loser isn't getting a penny out of me". Deep inside, though, is the fear that one day, they will be standing in the shoes of that man, desperate enough to be begging at an intersection, their path unknown.

Everyone has hard times at some point or another, in one way or another. And when you are, all you can think is, "why this, why now?" Where was that man's safety net? Where was the goodness of men when another looked at that man in disdain?

We are all connected. This is forgotten in those moments. We share molecules with the stars. We are all the same. That man is my father, my brother, my son, my mentor, my student, my friend, my dream. He is me and he is you. When one of us falls, we all fall. We, as one, are made worse by another's personal lack, when one of us profits from the despair of another.

Maybe I'm the only one who has noticed this, but lately, I've felt that we are entering a new era. Something is about to change in a spiritual way. It is my sincere hope (and belief) that this will change everything else for the better.

That man on the corner, and that woman in the hospital bed, will not be left to the direness of their circumstances. Rather, we will all rise to the occasion and bring them into the worldly embrace of goodwill. We will prove our greatness as a species, as spiritual beings in this physical world. We will be reminded that we are infinite, and always capable, that we always have more to give.

Click here for more on Remote Area Medical.

Click here for Giving is Good.