EDITORIAL: Thanksgiving afterthoughts (12/01/96)

EDITORIAL

Thanksgiving afterthoughts

Thanksgiving, that quintessential American celebration, has passed. We hope, dear readers, that you enjoyed the holiday in its true spirit, with family and close friends, finding the time to thank the Almighty for all His blessings, for all you and your families have in your lives.

But, we should ask ourselves, did we remember to give thanks to those in our community who make that community what it is?

Did we take time to recall those who selflessly contribute their time and effort to improve our community life, to those who enrich our children's lives in youth organizations and Ukrainian Saturday schools? Did we consider for one moment the dedication of those teachers who, though they could undoubtedly get higher paying jobs teaching elsewhere, choose to devote themselves and focus their work in our parochial schools or our Ukrainian high schools?

Did we ever reflect on the gratitude deserved by those unnamed, behind-the-scenes volunteers without whose help many of our institutions, our parishes, our museums, our community centers, would not even function? (Perhaps these institutions might not even exist.) Their contributions are all the more valuable in this day and age when no one has time for anything - so different from the days of the previous generation when giving of oneself was not unusual, rather, it was the norm.

And, while we gave thanks for all we have, did we consider the plight of the less fortunate, of those who are in need - whether of material comforts or emotional support? The poor, the elderly, the newly arrived are among those who need our attention during this holiday season and throughout the year.

In the spirit of the first Thanksgiving, which brought together new settlers in this land and the first Americans, the Indians, we should ask ourselves also: Have we been accepting of others within our community? Have we taken a moment to put aside our preconceptions and prejudgements, and tried to imagine what it would be like to walk a mile in someone else's shoes? And, having done that, have we tried to ease their lives, to help them become a part of our community?

Or are we more likely to criticize and complain, thus erecting barriers to the development of a true community in the full sense of the word (i.e., sharing a common heritage)? Too often, it seems, we are our own worst enemy...

All of the foregoing, dear readers, may be afterthoughts of Thanksgiving, but they are also a good lead-in to the Christmas season.

After all, Thanksgiving, a time of giving thanks, is the perfect prelude to Christmas, a time of giving gifts. So, now that we've given thanks within our family circles, let us focus on our extended family: our community and all its members. By giving of ourselves - and thus following the example set by our predecessors - we will galvanize our community for future generations.