Friday, November 25, 2011

Giving Thanks plus the Weekender


Most writers submit their holiday copy for the day of or the day before the holiday. I’m writing this column reflectively…after the fact. I admit it. I do not express my thanks often enough. I frequently approach the Lord with my troubles, problems, issues and questions, but not to thank Him for His blessings and the “teachable moments” that spring from my trials. I do not thank those whom I love for being who they are. I do not thank them for their support, encouragement and compassion. For me it is easier to be a cheerful giver than a grateful thanker. Thank you to my family and for my family who sustain me when the going is rough and who comfort me when I stumble.

Thank you for the remnant of people who cherish liberty. The scattered group of individualists who recognize their inalienable rights to be free provide an earthly hope to complement my eternal hope. Thank you for the wisdom of the Founders and the Framers who were imperfect men and their counseling women. They recognized that their imperfections and weaknesses were common to all humanity, and they were driven to devise a system of self-governing that would encourage our better natures to thrive and prevail. As Thomas Paine observed in 1805, the great beauty of a democratic republic is its capacity for elective remorse…to change directions when one proves to be faulty or unwise. Corrective action is its most endearing asset because fallible people will not always choose wisely, but the ability to change or even reverse course is a fundamental principle. So once again, thanks for the remnant that is committed to changing from our present circumstances back to the dreams and designs of the Framers.

Thank you for our founding freedoms, and for those liberties that have endured decades of erosion. The freedom to speak freely and to dream of universal liberty has survived from the beginning, and, for the most part, is generally intact. While our freedoms have been restricted, I am thankful that we continue to have enough liberty to challenge the status quo and work for our nation’s restoration to first principles.

Although I have already expressed my thanks for my family, I especially want to thank the Almighty for my grandchildren. They are my primary impetus for needling, wheedling, whining, begging, pleading and teaching about the benefits of and necessity for liberty. I have not accomplished every goal that I have set during my life, but the prospect for doing so has always been available. I sense that for my grandchildren the prospects are much dimmer and the opportunities are fewer. They are savvier than Grandpa was at their ages, and their potential is so great if a smothering Nanny State doesn’t dash their dreams. They can be tremendous producers and contributors if Big Brother doesn’t extinguish the sparks that ignite them.

Finally, I am thankful because I have been blessed in numerous ways at unexpected times. I KNOW that they were not serendipity or coincidence, but true blessings. I have been blessed by all the people whom I’ve known throughout my six decades plus. Despite some friction with a few, I have learned something from everyone when I took the time to know them. Thank you for lessons learned, forgotten and recalled. Thank you to my readers and listeners on WSPD. If we were to meet on an elevator or in a Wal-Mart, we probably wouldn’t recognize one another, but we share a kinship. We want a government that does its duty….and no more. We wish for a land where liberty reigns and is not constantly challenged by the power structure. We share a love for freedom and sanity and accountability and responsibility and honor and integrity…..and a true sense of community. Because we share our dreams and desires, I’m honored to call you “Sister” and “Brother” as we work to turn on that shining light on the hill.

I do hope your Thanksgiving weekend is a blessing and a beginning. There will be no Littlestuff Weekender this week, but our Monday column will be posted. I’ll be sitting in for Fred LeFebvre from 6:00-9:00am Monday morning on 1370 WSPD, Toledo  www.wspd.com, then back with my regular Tuesday show from 6-7:00pm. Thank you.



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