Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is Thanksgiving but in China it's just another Thursday. School, work, all of that. And it's also really hot so it certainly doesn't FEEL like Thanksgiving! We are going to celebrate with our very dear Hong Kong friends and our neighbors from the U.S. on Saturday. I think it will be our Hong Kong friends' first Thanksgiving - and in a way it carries on the tradition nicely - I don't know how we would have survived this move across the ocean to the New Old World without them!

We have a turkey on order, and we're going to have cranberries, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, pumpkin cheesecake, pecan pie, right down to the little sweet pickles and olives my Grandma used to serve on big feast days (well, not the SAME pickles and olives...new ones)! I am really looking forward to this!

I've been test messaging "Happy Thanksgiving!" all my friends here from the U.S. and it's been such a treat to see a U.S. person and be able to say "Happy Thanksgiving!" to someone it means something to. The things we learn to be thankful for...someone who can identify with our culture is a treat here!

I know that I am certainly thankful for things I never thought much about, and I remain thankful for some things I could not do without - the love and support of my family and my friends, near and far. Thank YOU for your love, support and encouragement. I hope you enjoy your turkey with your loved ones today.

"O God, when I have food,
help me to remember the hungry;
When I have work,
help me to remember the jobless;
When I have a home,
help me to remember those who have no home at all;
When I am without pain,
help me to remember those who suffer,
And remembering,
help me to destroy my complacency;
bestir my compassion,
and be concerned enough to help;
By word and deed,
those who cry out for what we take for granted.
Amen."
(Samuel F. Pugh)