Did you ever notice that the happiest people are not always the most privileged? Having said that, there is very little to be happy when you are poor and/or homeless. Most of us have ordinary concerns. Paying for college educations, living in a good neighborhood, affording an automobile that is serviceable. That is what we think about, and in general we are doing OK.

 

This Thanksgiving Season we are seeing many of our neighbors who only wish they had those mundane problems. I have seen some of the destruction of the South Shore first hand and have enlisted my sons and myself in that vast army of helpers. That army is out there doing a service for many people who they have never met. The outpouring of help has been reassuring that we will always exist as a people.

 

Perhaps this is part of the American culture, and maybe it is simply what human beings do in general. Whatever this phenomenon is, it is encouraging. Sending money to service organizations is helpful and needed. Participation by local and federal agencies is also essential, but putting your “shoulder to the wheel” is help that has a human face. We should be encouraged to give what we can, but it is important that we show-up.

Happy Thanksgiving

 

Ernie Fazio