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<\/a>The Family<\/p><\/div>\n
Yes, as always I ate too much, and I\u2019m not sure if Thanksgiving<\/strong> is my favorite holiday because of it or in spite of it. It\u2019s a holiday with no debate about whether you say Merry Christmas<\/strong> or Happy Holidays<\/strong>, there\u2019s no pressure of buying gifts or accepting unwanted gifts with a gracious, but insincere, \u201cI love it\u201d. There is no dressing up and begging for candy and there is no drinking as much as you can and staying up past midnight. Although Madison Avenue<\/strong> is trying like hell to put the focus on\u00a0Black Friday<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Cyber Monday<\/strong>, it\u2019s really still just about family, friends, food and football.<\/p>\n It is truly a time when I actually think about how grateful I am as well as think about those less fortunate \u2013 families of fire victims, shooting victims, the homeless, those with debilitating diseases or handicaps. It especially a time to be thankful for all the first-responders<\/strong> who put their lives on the line coming to the aid of others.\u00a0 It’s also at Thanksgiving I am reminded of how fortunate Linda and I are that we had such loving, caring parents, who taught us love of family, mostly by example. We still love and communicate regularly with our siblings and our three kids love each other and have given us three amazing grandchildren . . . so far.<\/p>\n My hope is that everyone has family relations as good or better than we have. Unfortunately the reality is that I\u2019ve heard way too many stories about people who say that they never got along with a parent, or that they haven\u2019t spoken to a sibling in years or have ignored a once-good friend because they had a disagreement years ago. When I encounter people in these situations I can’t help but think of one of the most influential books I\u2019ve ever read about forgiveness, Long Walk to Freedom<\/em><\/strong>, by Nelson Mandela<\/strong>. Among other things Mandela was able to forgive those who imprisoned him for 27 years<\/strong>, 18 of which were on isolated\u00a0Robben Island<\/strong>, for his efforts to abolish apartheid in South Africa<\/strong>. A few years ago I personally had an opportunity to visit his cell on Robben Island and believe me, it is no place you would want to spend even 18 minutes in! Once released, Mandela continued his fight against apartheid and was ultimately elected president<\/strong> of South Africa.\u00a0 While apartheid isn\u2019t completely gone even today, his efforts have gone a long way towards creating social justice.<\/p>\n The good news is you don\u2019t have to be imprisoned for 27 years to reach out to that family member or friend that you\u2019ve been avoiding for the last several years. This is the perfect time of year to extend the olive branch or an eggnog.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Bob Sparrow Yes, as always I ate too much, and I\u2019m not sure if Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because of it or in spite of it. It\u2019s a holiday with no debate about whether you say Merry Christmas … read more