Reasons to give thanks

Our editor Mark and I recently visited New York.
We had lunch with Brooklyn firefighters.
They were among the first responders during 9/11.
During lunch, a call came in to the Red Hook station.

Office workers were trapped in an elevator.
The firefighters jumped up and headed for their truck.
None hesitated. All responded. Quickly.
They knew those on the elevator were stressed.
They were to get the elevator working and get them out.
They returned 20 minutes later. Mission accomplished.
It wasn’t 9/11. Yet it was the same response as 9/11.
We should be thankful there are such people.
These firefighters lost seven from their firefighter family.
Think about that. What if one was a member of your family?
How would you feel? How would you deal with the loss?
Could you celebrate the spirit that drove the first responders?
Celebrate those who put the welfare of others first?
Rotarians worldwide strive to practice “service before self”.
Many other organizations pursue similar selfless goals.
It is easier to say than do. But in giving we receive.
It’s Biblical. It’s noble. It separates us from the animals.
We have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.
Show your thanks. Do something for someone today.
Do something for someone tomorrow. And the next day.
It’s the way to show your gratitude.
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Taking care of business

I flew to New York City Saturday for my sister’s birthday.
You have to love someone one heckuva lot to do that.
New York winters, like many New Yorkers, have sharp elbows.
It took four flights to get me there and back. None were on time.
The son of one of my sister’s friends works for Disney in Orlando.
Disney, you may recall, treats their customers as "guests".
That’s a far cry from how the airlines treat you.
You might as well be cattle to them.
If we treated our advertisers and subscribers that way, guess what?
We would be in as bad a financial fix as the NY Times.
We cruised from Honolulu to Tahiti 14 months ago.
It was a great experience. We could have been royalty.
The cruise line employees treat you that way.
Not the airlines. We were stranded for two days in Tahiti.
Now there are worse places to be stranded.
But we needed to go home. We had clients to take care of.
Have you had a wonderful experience on an airline?
Or have you had a crummy one?
Click on the comment button at the end of this blog.
Let me know about your experiences.
We’ll share them with everyone. Venting is healthy.
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