Flag this message Happy Thanksgiving ... a new insight
I received this from a friend of mine and it gave a sweet new meaning to Thanksgiving...
Six years ago I was in Kyrgyzstan as a visiting professor and heard this story from a friend of mine, the President of the American University of Central Asia. It was Thanksgiving Day, and as he arrived at his office that morning, he was greeted by one of the instructors who thanked him for all the work he did for the university. Making his way to his office, he was stopped again by a member of the maintenance department who thanked him also for his hard work. His secretary had a beautiful Kyrgyz greeting card waiting for him at his desk, thanking him for his support of university staff and faculty, including upgrading salaries in this very poor country, once a part of the former Soviet Union. And before he was able to sit down at his desk, yet another thank you from the head of the kitchen staff. Perplexed by all this gratitude, he thought perhaps he was unaware of a local holiday and asked his secretary about this lovely custom. No, she said, not one of our holidays; it is your holiday……Thanksgiving. She continued to say that they did not know much about this holiday, but everyone figured that the way it was celebrated in the US was to thank people for work they had done, or for any act of kindness and effort.
Interesting; if she only knew that we too often celebrate it by eating way too much food and watching college football!!
Thanksgiving is just the beginning of a long litany of celebrations that take us through to the end of the year. That end is fast approaching. Thank you for all you do to make your community a better place to live. And thank you for creating peace and goodwill. Let us all have a peaceful and peace-making 2011.
Can I hear a hallelujah to that?--here's a 650 voice chorus...click here--its a wow!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp_RHnQ-jgU
Blessings,
Six years ago I was in Kyrgyzstan as a visiting professor and heard this story from a friend of mine, the President of the American University of Central Asia. It was Thanksgiving Day, and as he arrived at his office that morning, he was greeted by one of the instructors who thanked him for all the work he did for the university. Making his way to his office, he was stopped again by a member of the maintenance department who thanked him also for his hard work. His secretary had a beautiful Kyrgyz greeting card waiting for him at his desk, thanking him for his support of university staff and faculty, including upgrading salaries in this very poor country, once a part of the former Soviet Union. And before he was able to sit down at his desk, yet another thank you from the head of the kitchen staff. Perplexed by all this gratitude, he thought perhaps he was unaware of a local holiday and asked his secretary about this lovely custom. No, she said, not one of our holidays; it is your holiday……Thanksgiving. She continued to say that they did not know much about this holiday, but everyone figured that the way it was celebrated in the US was to thank people for work they had done, or for any act of kindness and effort.
Interesting; if she only knew that we too often celebrate it by eating way too much food and watching college football!!
Thanksgiving is just the beginning of a long litany of celebrations that take us through to the end of the year. That end is fast approaching. Thank you for all you do to make your community a better place to live. And thank you for creating peace and goodwill. Let us all have a peaceful and peace-making 2011.
Can I hear a hallelujah to that?--here's a 650 voice chorus...click here--its a wow!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp_RHnQ-jgU
Blessings,
Comments
Post a Comment