Welcome to this Sunday’s Third Degree: Tough, Brief, Weekly Interrogations on matters public and private that force thinking and response. Today we target: Gratitude

  • Given that the first, national, American Thanksgiving took place today, in 1789, do thoughts/expressions of gratitude linger from last Thursday?
  • What are they?
  • How about public thanks to always thoughtful neighbors (Paul and Molly Klazura) who brought over Turkey Dinner and all the trimmings to Covid isolated and miserable Myrna plus nurse John (who, at this writing, is now out of the starting gate himself)?
  • Thanks too to Tom and Maureen Lawson for vittles yesterday?
  • With America shutting down late, last Wednesday afternoon, was gratitude due triage nurse Carrie who dropped everything to find a prescriber for Paxlovid and Walgreens coming through, after a power outage of many hours, with an eleventh hour: ” Here it is and on the house?”
  • Bottle of good wine time comin’ for the pharmacist?
  • People you know, people you don’t— like at Rockford’s Rick’s Ribs on Friday night and a lady with incredible black and white long, multi-braided locks fumbling through credit cards trying to pay for her family dinner and frustrated to tears?
  • Still not testing positive, but distancing, with an offer to pay but, stipulating, not for her amazing hair, just the food?
  • Laughter from everyone in line and gratitude overflowing but then her card worked and was she gone with a smile and a memory?
  • Did moments of American, family feelings linger? Hope so?
  • Does the Chinese Communist Party deserve gratitude or an accounting for the worldwide 772 million confirmed COVID cases with 7 million dead over the last three years?
  • Is the poignancy particular, particularly at Thanksgiving and Christmastime?
  • Was the polite XI in San Francisco a sign of weakness or strength? Wherein gratitude however fleeting?
  • Does it take a one-eyed man in the land of the blind?
  • Now, savoring yesterday’s Michigan win, homework and a gift of gratitude: An eyes wide open, George Will presentation to Princetonians for Free Speech?
  • Recommended reading and re-reading, pen in hand, as I did on Thanksgiving: Find it online at National Review, Consciousness Project?
  • George deserves gratitude?

Socrates reminds: “The unexamined life is not worth living”. The answers and actions are yours?