Gratitude enriches lives, chases away fears and connects us all

Last Sunday I provoked readers with a column I wrote describing my despair at President Bush’s re-election. The first phone message arrived at 7 a.m. Sunday. A cranky-sounding man said, “If you’re unwilling to accept the mandate of the people, why don’t you move to Canada and get out of this great country? We don’t need people like you here.”

Soon the e-mails began to arrive. “Thank you for putting so eloquently how I feel about the election,” one woman wrote. “I thought there were only five of us in the whole Spokane area that were (Kerry) supporters; now I know there are at least six!”

Since then I’ve heard from countless readers. Approximately 50 e-mails alone poured in, angry, heartfelt, passionate, scolding, congratulatory, disheartened and indignant. Responses split like the vote itself, with only a couple of percentage points between those celebrating Bush’s victory and those deploring it.

By mid-week, I turned to these readers to help me shift focus. In honor of Thanksgiving, I asked them to tell me what they’re grateful for. More e-mails began rolling in, and I discovered that by choosing gratitude in the midst of our post-election divisions, we began to be transformed.

So let’s start with my own Thanksgiving litany: I’m grateful for a laughing husband who pulls me in front of the TV when “Meet The Press” features Mary Matalin and James Carville, a couple who turn marital political disagreement into an art form; my parents who after 50 years of marriage regularly cancel out each other’s votes without canceling out their love for one another, and two bright, talented daughters whose political convictions overshadow mine.

I’m grateful for the power and magic of words, and I’m grateful for the First Amendment which allows us to express them freely. The First Amendment, wrote Justice William Brennan in 1964, provides that “debate on public issues (should be)… uninhibited, robust, and wide-open.”

I’m also grateful for the chance to connect with so many readers who astonished me with their eloquence, fury and wisdom. I’m grateful to learn that because we care so deeply about our families and their futures, we cling to the politicians we think will save them. I discovered that whether we line up as red voters or blue, we’re all enriched — and connected — when we share our gratitude.

Here’s a selection of what these Inland Northwest readers will be thankful for this Thanksgiving:

I am grateful for this family of mine that is so close, or as my mother-in-law would have put it, tight as the bark on a tree. I am thankful for the coming together on Thanksgiving day, to gab and giggle and hug and enjoy each other’s company: the grownups and all the kids with the dogs scavenging under the table; the holding of hands and bowed heads to say grace, the wonder of looking across the table and realizing that these people are my people, honored and held dear to my heart.

In this instance, the politicians go away. The war and the soldiers who fight in it are in our prayers, but right here, right now, the family is the most important thing in the world. — Mary Lou Joseph, Spokane

I am exceedingly grateful to have food, clothing and shelter and be in no immediate danger of losing them. I am grateful to be able to sleep at night with the soothing background noise of Spokane’s ubiquitous passing trains, and not the crack of small arms or the thud of explosions. — Lt. Commander John P. Simanton, U.S. Naval Reserve (retired), Spokane

Recent surgery causes me to reflect on how fortunate I am to live at a time and in a place in which exceptional medical care is available. While thankful that I have access to this care, I am saddened to realize that others living at the same time and place have yet to achieve this blessing. — Dr. Ross Coble, Spokane

I am thankful for the fine young men and women in our military and emergency services (police, fire and EMS). It is these people who are in harms way abroad and at home, that provide me and my family the security in which to live free and enjoy the fruits of their sacrifice. While I am enjoying time with my family during the holidays, I will give thanks to those who allow us this privilege, at great personal expense. Godspeed to those who serve our country in these troubling times. — Tad Leach, Coeur d’Alene

I’m thankful for happy, healthy and life-loving kids; a husband who doesn’t require a detailed accounting of the checkbook; parents that still have their sense of humor despite failing health; and I’m really, really thankful to be an American. — Kellie Yates, Spokane

I am thankful for the chance to know and love so many of our city’s young people (as a high school English teacher) and to have been blessed with the opportunity to see that glow in so many eyes when they learn and, as a result, feel more competent and wise. — Jan Praxel, Spokane

I am thankful for my parents who reared me and taught me about God, values, morals and provided me with support and also sternly corrected me when I did something wrong. … I am one Happy American. — Arnold O. Bos, Spokane

In a world that seems very dark to me now, and in a country I love that has lost its way, I feel most grateful for my family my friends, my beautiful grandchildren. I am grateful that I can still hope for a return of sanity and reason to our politics. — Louisa Rose, Spokane

Our troops at home and abroad are in each of our prayers. For those who never again will smell the turkey and gravy, we mourn and ache for their memory. I am thankful that once again this nation has demonstrated to the world that we can elect leaders to serve at the will of ALL the people. — Dr. Robert S. West, Coeur d’Alene

I’m grateful for my health. Since I just had surgery three weeks ago I’m reminded not to take it for granted. I’m grateful my cyst was benign. Also for my husband, two kids, part-time job, BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) the best-kept secret in Spokane, holiday time, God, democracy and freedom. — Debbie Haase, Spokane

The things I am grateful for: Life itself, and for each day, particularly important at age 82, and for a great husband, family, and friends. I am grateful for having been born in this country, despite my present misgivings about the way it is going. — Marjorie Young, Spokane Valley

Here’s what I’m grateful for: I have terminal cancer. My wife Terry is my care giver. During my long convalescent periods as a patient at Deaconess Medical Center (10 Tower) recovering from multiple major surgeries, she slept on a cot next to me, gave me bed baths, shaved me, made my bed, massaged my back, supported me as I tried to walk and changed my colostomy dressings. Being married to a guy with terminal cancer is not glamorous nor is it very rewarding. Married since 1969, she has raised our son to be a fine young man, kept the family together while I deployed to all parts of the world, and started her own business after working for many small companies all over the USA. She’s a wonder woman, has the patience of a saint, the nerves of a steel worker on a sky scraper in gusting winds, and the courage of a lion tamer. I’m an extremely lucky guy and I’m grateful she’s been a part of my life for so long. Without her, I’d be nothing. — Capt. Fred White, U.S. Navy (retired), Newman Lake

Gratitude opens our hearts, banishes our fears and joins us together. I recommend it. Happy Thanksgiving.