Blessings
Thanksgiving in November is not the only time of the year we should look at the many bounties we enjoy. Last week I wrote a column enumerating all our regrets. I received several letters mentioning all the adversities that have befallen my readership.
It is time to look at the other side of the coin! We Long Islanders are living in one of the garden spots of the world. Our verdant backyards are a gift of nature. We are surrounded by two great bodies of water that allow swimming, fishing and many forms of boating. Our closeness to New York City allows us to use its many facilities such as museums, Broadway plays, restaurants and parks.
We must also look to our families for our windfalls of happiness. Our children and grandchildren are growing up in America, the land of the free. As we read the newspapers we see hunger and devastation all around the world. Our schools teach democracy and we can take pleasure in knowing our kids are growing up safe from evil dictators and rulers.
On Jan. 9, 2011 we celebrated the 70th anniversary of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s State of the Union speech. It was the “Four Freedoms’ Speech” which was later memorialized by Norman Rockwell’s Four Freedoms paintings. The president was asking for a “world founded upon four essential human freedoms.”
1. Freedom of speech and expression.
2. Freedom of worship.
3. Freedom from want.
4. Freedom from fear.
In an explosive era, much like we are living in today, President Roosevelt spoke of his international aims for all people. These freedoms which we still invoke are essential to all of us.
Every year we should all stop, take a measure of our lives and “count our blessings.”
