Thankfulness of Perspective

This arrived in my inbox a few minutes ago from a colleague of mine...

     "Having lived through much upheaval in Latin America—and having  a few friends and relatives exiled, imprisoned, tortured, and shot for their political views—I believe Americans have cause for gratitude this Thanksgiving.  Hey, and we’re all still smiling at each other. This place is heaven."

The 2012 Presidential Election is over, the Halloween candy has hopefully been eaten, winter crops are planted, and I am planning for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Everything in our lives is based on perspectives.  It is really based on which lens you look through.


My son will be home two weeks from tomorrow for the first time since he sent off to college.  I guess that in itself is good in that he has "flown".  On the other hand, I miss him dearly.  I miss many things about him,....his laundry and his dirty room for example.  Now when I do laundry, which is now about half of what it used to be, I see his bed made, clean floor, and lack of dishes.  (His room is across from the laundry room.)

I am thankful for all of the laundry I have done, and I am thankful for the lightened load.  I look forward to the additional noises in our home, the electric guitar, the kid's car being on empty, and empty cereal boxes in my cupboards.  I look forward to being a short order cook and being "eaten out of house and home".

In the spirit of perspective, I remember the day I found out what my dad used to tell my mom when I would pull out of the driveway after weekend or holiday visits...

"It is great to see her come home, and it is even better to see her leave."  I think I am understanding perspective.