Today, my commitment is to not be political. Based on current events, that is not easy but, as I said, I am committed.

I mentioned this last week but thought I would elaborate. We just celebrated Thanksgiving, a truly American holiday started by Native Americans who basically befriended, shared, and helped invaders, sometimes called pilgrims. Now, we were taught in school that the pilgrims came to America seeking religious freedom. A closer investigation will lead to more accuracy as they too came for commercial and financial reasons, theirs, and others. European profiteers knew that these so-called pilgrims were close-knit, would work hard, and were ideal candidates to help launch a new economy, and that they did.

So, as we revisit the history of how this continent became America, we see most of what we were taught were lies. The hemisphere was not discovered, Europeans did not come to usher in civilization, explorers were really conquerors, and Natives, who shared their land, food, and customs were ultimately victimized by genocide. It was about business, a money play. Therefore, even as I attempt to stay away from politics, certain truths are important to expose.

That being said, I am thankful, and I believe we should express our thanks daily. While I am thankful for what I have been given, I am more thankful that God has placed me in a position to give. All of us who are so blessed and highly favored should know and should freely acknowledge that our good fortune is not earned or merited, it comes from grace. So, if there is one Thanksgiving practice, I would want to promote it would be humility. We must know that our fate is in God’s hands and that the misfortune we see others experience could be ours as well.

Even though the roots of Thanksgiving, this American tradition, has some historical inconsistencies, the idea of giving thanks, sharing with others, and paying our blessings forward, well those are universal truths.

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