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Tonight's diary is a gentle rewrite of one first published November 25, 2008, it was time for a revisit...
Every year at Thanksgiving, a certain song reminds me of its existence, and gets serious airplay :-). It's the closest thing to a "grace" set to music I've ever heard, and as those celebrating American Thanksgiving prepare to spend Thursday with friends and family born and/or chosen, I'd like to share a bit of it with you tonight. The song is David Roth's May The Light Of Love (song starts around 4:09).
As we come around to take our places at the table
A moment to remember and reflect upon our wealth
Here's to loving friends and family, here's to being able
To gather here together in good company and health
We don't usually say a nightly grace at Casa Brillig; if we do it's generally a "what made you happy today?" shared around the table. But we do on major holidays. The Great Thanksgiving Incident of 2003 means I will likely never lead grace again at Mr. Brillig's family gatherings :-), but no matter who does and what is said, I give silent thanks for good friends, good family, and good health.
I look around at my DailyKos family, and see in all of you a great wealth. You enrich my life with wise words, good humor, sage advice, innumerable pootie pics, comment nominations I'd otherwise miss, and friendships which mean more than I ever will be able to put fully into words. Netroots Nation is more than a conference to me - it's a reunion of friends old, new and not yet made all at once.
May we be released from all those feelings that would harm us
May we have the will to give them up and get them gone
For heavy are the satchels full of anger and false promise
May we have the strength to put them down.
May we wish the best for everyone that we encounter
May we swallow pride and may we do away with fear
For it's only what we do not know that we have grown afraid of
And only what we do not choose to hear
From year to year different verses speak more or less insistently; once again these two stand out. From the aftereffects of a nasty election season to the divisiveness within our community, our party, and our country, we've all got a lot of hurt and anger to let go of. It is hard to wish the best for Tea Partiers or Blue Dogs, for example, when we are not sure they return the sentiment. But in order to be true to the ideals that (I believe) we hold in common as Kossacks, liberals, and just plain good people, we must. Lay down your feelings toward those who were on the opposite side; or who lost on the same side as you.
To heed these words is hard to do. I used to be one who held grudges, carried them like lead bricks to weigh down relationships great and small. Who used words spoken in different times and under different circumstances to prejudice my reactions to present-day interactions. I HR'ed the commenter, not the comment, as it were :-).
I'd like to say I no longer do, but honesty requires me to say I do so far less frequently than before. When I start to slip, I remember that several years ago I nearly lost someone dear because I could not. I've also surrounded myself with people who believe I am a better person that I do some days, who by their Faith Hope & Love keep me grounded in my Better Self.
As we bless our daily bread and drink our day's libation
May we be reminded of the lost and wayward soul
The hungry and the homeless that we have in every nation
May we fill each empty cup and bowl
As the Obama Administration continues the work of cleaning up the mess it's both inherited and made, there are going to be a lot more hungry, lost people. This ought to be our Great Charge: to feed those who have none, to welcome home those who are lost, seeking or in need of our company.
May nothing ever come between or threaten to divide us
May we never take for granted all the gifts that we receive
Being ever mindful of the Unseen Hands that guide us
And the miracles that cause us to believe.
May nothing ever come between or threaten to divide us. Next time we are sniping at each other; next time the circular firing squad gathers round, remember these words and withdraw from the assault. Doesn't mean we all have to agree 100% or sit around the Kossack Kampfire singing Kumbahyah, but it does mean we ought to try at the very least not to fan the flames. Be excellent to each other, dammit, 'cause we're on the same freakin' side.
The chorus goes as follows:
May the Light of Love be shining deep within your spirit
May the Torch of Mercy clear the path and show the way
May the Horn of Plenty sound so everyone can hear it
May the Light of Love be with you
Every day
That's my Thanksgiving grace, in short form. Don't get too wrapped up in the language of spirituality (please!!), but do translate the words into whatever speaks to your heart this thanksgiving season, and take it with you wherever you go.
= = = = =
I'm giving thanks tonite for the wonderful comments in the TC mailbox:
From rexymeteorite:
From bobswern's Breaking: N. Korea Attacks Populated S. Korean Island:
George Heir, a serviceman stationed in South Korea, spanks chicken hawk right wingers. Hard.
From lineatus:
After all the words spilled about TSA screenings, ... I didn't think there were any new angles. bugscuffle proved me wrong.
From first-time nominator 714day:
I think my choice of ActivistGuy's comment is self explanatory....
From Yours Truly, brillig:
Meteor Blades frets we will become tired of his Annual Thanksgiving Diary cosmic debris says what I am sure many of us think about that.
RaulVB on Dan Savage, in Chrislove's Dan Savage Pwns CNN: Stop Giving Platform to Anti-Gay Bigots.
Top Mojo is something I'm always thankful about... when it posts on the first try! Thanks to cskendrick and sardonyx for making it so easy to calculate!
Top 30 plus ties Comments excluding tip jars, first comments and stuff:
1) Thanks for indulging this proud hubbie by david mizner — 105
2) Jefferson Beaureguard Session III by terrypinder — 80
3) Convenient Memory Loss by JekyllnHyde — 77
4) Seeing the Light by JekyllnHyde — 74
5) FoxNews creates a by TomP — 71
6) Kossacks in foxholes by George Hier — 70
7) Wrong. by Orange County Liberal — 69
8) Keep hammering them on this. by XNeeOhCon — 68
9) She was stunning on Charlie Rose by BigDuck — 64
10) I know that there are lots of contenders, but I by blue jersey mom — 61
11) Robert Gibbs is never going to live down by Colorado is the Shiznit — 61
12) That really was an exceptional moment by angry marmot — 60
13) Oh, I doubt it was "cowardly." by corvo — 57
14) I was so proud of them both. by sherlyle — 55
15) Look, who has the largest FUCKING by icebergslim — 53
16) I hope you don't mind my posting Part 2 by Diogenes2008 — 50
17) You are misinformed by Eclectablog — 50
18) Who said anything about unquestioned support? by smartdemmg — 48
19) I get to vote for her every two years. by chicago jeff — 48
20) Isn't he the one all pissed off by sherlyle — 48
21) Krugman joins a list of distinguished by Agathena — 47
22) If you have to keep telling people how much by Lcohen — 47
23) I will NOT fly so it is moot point. I will take by boophus — 46
24) He's doing precisely the job by corvo — 46
25) 4th Amendment by xxdr zombiexx — 45
26) Once again .... by SamCDC — 45
27) T and R'd by jsfox — 44
28) The man is tirelessly inspiring by missliberties — 44
29) Obama thinks he's the CEO by FishOutofWater — 44
30) Some of those war widows might be mexicans! by phenry — 42
31) Tim Geithner? by Johnathan Ivan — 42
32) Attention, Straight Americans! by Crashing Vor — 42
Top 30 Comments with no exclusions, aka the Tip Jar & Pooties list :-):
1) Tip Jar by Clarknt67 — 343
2) Tip Jar by Eclectablog — 304
3) Tip Jar by david mizner — 255
4) Tip Jar by tinhut — 254
5) Tip Jar by TCG — 253
6) A quote from the interview by Eddie C — 248
7) Depressing. by dirkster42 — 199
8) Tip Jar by bobswern — 174
9) Tip Jar by teacherken — 171
10) Tip Jar by Chrislove — 164
11) Tips? Flames? by Something the Dog Said — 154
12) Tip jar by it really is that important — 131
13) Tip Jar by icebergslim — 125
14) Tip Jar by RenaRF — 124
15) Tip Jar by Meteor Blades — 119
16) Tip Jar by A Siegel — 112
17) Thanks for indulging this proud hubbie by david mizner — 105
18) Tip Jar by WineRev — 97
19) Tip Jar by Jay Inslee — 90
20) Messages for Miss Blue? by Sara R — 85
21) Tip Jar by Stranded Wind — 84
22) Jefferson Beaureguard Session III by terrypinder — 80
23) Convenient Memory Loss by JekyllnHyde — 78
24) Seeing the Light by JekyllnHyde — 75
25) Tuesday Cooking tips? by Black Kos — 75
26) FoxNews creates a by TomP — 71
27) Kossacks in foxholes by George Hier — 70
28) Wrong. by Orange County Liberal — 69
29) Keep hammering them on this. by XNeeOhCon — 69
30) She was stunning on Charlie Rose by BigDuck — 64