Thanksgiving Weekend is upon us,
and thoughts of clarity come to my mind,
son has asked me why we should be thankful,
when the world seems ready to decline.
War, hunger, dictatorship and greed abound,
many continents seem on fire or submerged,
people are starving, homeless and oppressed
while we can live in a land of freedom and promise.
Sure, the world seems like it’s going to hell,
and everyone’s asking for help, a crumb or two.
And the free people of the world are challenged,
to assist those unknown to them, it’s true.
In the backyard, is a maple tree,
that moves with the wind when it blows,
north, south, east or west it bows, but it stays firmly planted.
Our people are like this tree, yielding, cooperating and kind.
We are free, while much of the world is oppressed,
drought, climate, floods and tyrant’s greed are news leads,
as people we know do not ask for assistance and a life
free from constant challenges that form their lives.
Thankful for something precious, a peace so profound,
our land is full of opportunities, social and cultural diversity its true.
Can we not do more, and be better before our global neighbours?
Is it not better to receive thanks for the things we do?
The challenges of the pandemic struck my family this year,
the business has suffered, yet many of my neighbours suffer more.
An optimist I am, and Canadian I am too. Money is money,
but the lives of others are more precious than that.
The True North hears the call of others,
no matter their colour, race or creed.
Be thankful for what you have,
for tomorrow what is precious to you may disappear.
Steven Kaszab
Bradford, Ontario
[email protected]
