As we head toward thanksgiving day, I want to give a shout out to things / people I am very thankful for.  Thankfulness, my Grandmother always said, was the parent of all virtues.  Being thankful opens the door for generosity, kindness, and awareness needed in building a community based of love and respect.

Count-down # 7 – I am thankful that in the comfort of my home, and with assurance of sanitation, I am able to urinate and defecate.

Might sound crude, but this morning I was thinking about the millions of refugees in the world; the tent camps in Haiti, those displaced by wars, and the countless others in poverty where the simple act of relieving yourself can require a trek to an open sewer and opens you and the whole community up to the risk of diseases.

I ‘ve been in poverty conditions where an outhouse would be welcomed, and a flush toilet is a luxury only dreamed of.  In my family, my generation is the first to be raised completely with flush toilets.

I’m thankful for flush toilets and so when I sit/ or stand this week I will remember those who know not the simple comforts I often take for granted, and consider… is there anything I should do, besides give thanks?