A Life of Thanksgiving

We all, or the overwhelming majority of us anyway, know the Story as it has been handed down for a bit over 400 years: "The year was 1621 when the first Thanksgiving was celebrated, hosted by Native Americans". Although it became a tradition, it was not officially set in writing as an annual holiday until 242 years later, when Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it so! I have no problem with feasting with my chosen family on this Day that has been set aside to celebrate Life's Blessings - I enjoy a good celebration as much as the next person ( relatively speaking, of course ). I understand the idea behind setting aside a certain day to celebrate - like Sunday Worship, for example ( or, relatively speaking, Saturday, for those who strive to be kosher ( Jewish ). It would obviously be a strain on both our time & money to celebrate our thanksgiving in this way every day, would it not?! The issue at hand, as far as I'm concerned, much as in the case of Sunday Worship, is; "Does either special day further enhance or detract from the notion of everyday thankfulness or worship?" Why do we need a special day set aside for either?

As the title of this small post suggests, thankfulness is something that should be celebrated every day. Like I said before, "I don't have a problem with gathering together with loved ones in order to celebrate Life's Blessings" - in this day & age of busyness, it's easier to set aside one special Day, rather than to focus on our thankfulness, our worship, EVERY day of the year. ( "I get it!" ) MY question is, "Why do we need a special day in which to celebrate our thankfulness, or for that matter, our worship?" 

Why can't we just be thankful for Life's Blessings every day, celebrating them with every meal we eat, with every drink we take? It is evident, by the very phrase, 'Sunday Christian', that there is a tendency, when there is a special day set aside, for any given purpose, to allow that "one day" to distract from daily practice. History is replete with examples of this. Growing up Christian, I was exposed to the hypocrisy of this notion at an early age, though it was not till years later that I became aware of the hypocrisy of esteeming one day better than another. 

However, this post was not meant to be a diatribe against Sunday Worship, OR Thanksgiving Day for that matter! Like I said earlier, "I enjoy a good celebration as much as the next person". As far as I'm concerned, if someone wants to esteem one day better than another, that is between them & their god. I will observe Thanksgiving Day as I enjoy a special feast with my loved ones, but I will also strive to be thankful EVERY day, in EVERYTHING I do & say!

Namaste' & Blessed Be!

Sage Charles 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ResponsAbility

Not knowing what dreams ( or "nightmares"? ) may come, I prophesied that 2025 was going to be my Year of ResponsAbility! "What a year it's been, too!" Near the end of April, if I remember correctly, I apparently received a letter from DPHHS ( Department of Health and Human Services ) dictating that I needed to send them verification of employment, including proof that my employer was paying FICA, unemployment insurance, social security, etc. For whatever reason, I failed to provide the needed proof, so some time later, I was informed that my benefits would END on May 31st! Not JUST my full Medicaid, which was a requirement to qualify for my nursing program with AbilityMT, but EVEN my QMB Medicaid, which at least paid my Medicare premium! Well, needless to say, May came and went, and when my SSDI was deposited on my debit card, it was quite a bit less than usual. That, in itself was a BIT of a challenge, but I was able to overcome THAT hurdle. 

It was around THAT time one of the new deputies here in Jefferson County felt the need to make my acquaintance. Yes, I got pulled over just as I got into town ( "Okay, so it was a couple blocks in, but who's counting?" ) I live about a mile and a half North of town, on a state highway, and as I was nearing town, I passed a parking area where deputies often park ( for whatever reason ), and once past the parking area, the deputy that had been sitting there in her car pulled out after me, following me into town. When I noticed that she, as well as another vehicle were following me, I pulled off the highway to allow them to pass, which they did, but the deputy slowed WAY down as she passed. Thinking nothing of it, I pulled out after her and the other vehicle had passed and continued on my merry way. Well, obviously, having seen, or rather, not seen what she was looking for, she then pulled into another parking lot, pulled out after I had passed, and proceeded to pull me over. The first thing she said when she walked up behind me was, "You know that plate's not real, right!?" She asked for my license and registration, neither of which I was able to provide. ( Something you must understand here, I'd been driving my golfcart ( "Sunshine" ) for about 5 1/2 years WITHOUT a license! ) I replied that, as far as I knew, golfcarts were not registerable vehicles. Long story short, after she walked back from her own vehicle, where she had obviously done a bit of her own research, she told me that, no, golfcarts didn't need to be registered, but that I DID need a license to operate it on a state highway, even a public thoroughfare, such as a city street. No ticket was issued, but I WAS warned! Okay, so after jumping a few more hurdles, I finally got my license!

Back to the Medicaid fiasco ( "mea culpa" ); I finally, after jumping MORE than a few hurdles, got my Medicaid reinstated ( July? ), but it was only QMB ( at least it took care of the Medicare premium ). I could have reinstated my full Medicaid AND my nursing program at that time, but I would have needed to pay Medicaid/DPHHS a 'spendown' amounting to almost $300. I was not prepared to do this, as I had been basically living paycheck to paycheck BEFORE all this transpired. So, it was back to beating the pavement, looking for someone who would give me a few hours a month so I could qualify for a spenddown of only $35/month. After working through my limited options, Town Pump, a convenience store here in Whitehall, hired me for 16 hours a month as a 'Grocery Merchandiser'. I've been there since August and everything has been going fairly well ( "knock on wood" ), and though it took this old, disabled body a few weeks to make the transition back into the workforce, I'm now a more or less fully-functioning member of society!

ResponsAbility falls into the "Simple but not Easy" category. The thing about it though, is that with it comes great freedom. Much of the problem in Society today is that we have given up so much of our responsibilities that in reality, we have very little, if any, of our true freedoms left. In the past year, I have found that, while on one hand, Life has gotten harder, on the other hand it has gotten BETTER! Again, this is not to say that taking ResponsAbility for your own life is easy ( "It's NOT!" ) but it IS simple! All you have to do is decide whether you'd rather be free, or live a life of ease and comfort. I KNOW that my struggles are not over, but I will no longer let someone else take responsibility for MY life! 

With all that said; "I still receive, and yes, count on that government paycheck every month!" Some might say that falls into the category of letting someone else take responsibility for my life, and they may have a point. Others might say that I DESERVE it, that I don't really have much of a choice, and THEY would have a point too! Right now, though; I will accept the ResponsAbility ( mea culpa ) for losing my Medicaid in the first place, but I also have accepted the ResponsAbility for jumping all the hurdles to get it reinstated, not least of which was finding that job at Town Pump!

Charles Haddon Shank