In November, we celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving. All too often, many think that it is a day off to watch football. It should be a time of reflection of all the good that we have in our lives such as family, friends, good health, etc. It is important for us to realize what is truly important. For me, having the family together is the best part of the day. With everyone’s busy schedule, getting together is harder and harder. For those whose parents are still alive, get in touch with them and let them know how important it is that they are a part of your life and how grateful you are for everything that they have done for you. The values they instilled in you. The sacrifices they made for you. These are things that you do not realize until you are grown or until you have children of your own. When you grow up having only one parent as I did, then you realize how important it is to have both parents. If you are a parent of grown adults, call them, let them know that you are thinking about them and how proud you are of them. If you are a parent of children, sit down and talk to them. Let them know that you want the best for them and their wellbeing is important to you. Give them an extra hug. Tell them how much you love them. Do not take life for granted. Let those that are important to you know it. You never know what is going to happen tomorrow. Make the most out of every day.

Also, in November, we have Veteran’s Day. After thinking about it, it really does make sense to have this in the same month as Thanksgiving. We should give thanks to all those servicemen who have served or is serving our country. They have made sure that we have the freedoms that we enjoy today. So during Thanksgiving, include them in your prayers and when you see a serviceman go up and thank them for their service and all that they do for this country.

Fraternally,
Stephen Ruch, Worshipful Master