Gratitude Triumphs Over Grinch

The geniuses of Wall Street, with their twisted version of capitalism, have conspired to steal not only Christmas but also the nation's traditional day for counting its blessings. The downward death spiral of the American economy threatens not only our patterns of unlimited consumption but even our very way of life -- shelter, food, jobs, and family well-being.

But some are beginning to reflect on the opportunity these multiple crises offer for re-evaluating our priorities. We may, in fact, be entering a genuine era of "values" far more serious than than the divisive, wedge-issue politics of the religious right.

The ranks of those who remember the end of the Great Depression are thinning, and that is a loss. Because we remember Thanksgiving as the real family and community holiday, with Pilgrim themes of sharing of food and meals, free of the pressures of Christmas shopping, spending, and gift exchanges. Even as we, and almost all around us, struggled for basic necessities, those years gone by evoke memories of pumpkin pies, leaf raking, touch football games in the front yard, good neighborly cheer, a sense of warmth amidst loved ones, all brought on by the end of the harvest. Thanksgiving is so seasonal it almost wouldn't work any other time of the year.

Even those of us whose families were working poor understood that there were those worse off who could use some of the bounty of even a limited table. The desperately poor, whom we tried to help, reminded us that there are always those less well off.

I cannot begin to count my blessings, the things I am most grateful for, starting with the miracle of a transformational president who tells us that -- yes, we can redeem our nation's conscience and its moral purpose.

Like that baseball icon, today I consider myself the luckiest man in the world.