Six Things to be Grateful for:

The turkey is in the oven and the house smells delicious. You have a minute to sit down, pour a glass of wine and have a read.

Thanksgiving is one day during the year that we absolutely must celebrate our blessings. We should be grateful for our families, our homes, health, wealth, and much more.  With help from Facebook friends, the Providence team and family, we came up with quite a long list. 

Freedom

The Pilgrims came to America searching for exactly this.  They began the tradition of Thanksgiving to celebrate their harvest, which was thanks to God and good soil, help from the natives, and each other’s hard work. They were also thankful for their safety and the home they built; for their new freedom to live how they choose.  Today we live in beautiful free country, therefore it is easy to forget to be grateful for all our freedoms.  Many of us are here as immigrants, who never thought this would be our fate. So let’s be grateful for endless opportunities; the ability to work and save for the future, to get an education and give one to our children. Let’s be grateful for the freedom to pray, believe and speak our minds.  

“…I’m thankful for my freedom and my family.”

Myron S.

I am thankful to God for the opportunity to be in a country so blessed by its people, resources and especially the freedom to be without fear. This holiday is the most religious of all civic holidays and the day offers us the time to reflect on how fortunate we are.

Msgr. Peter Waslo

Roots and History

Would you be the same, if your roots were different?  You may not know much about your ancestors, but you possess their traits, and their choices could have had an effect on your life today.  Your pra-pra dido may have been a kozak or sat in a soviet jail for helping the Ukrainian army.  Maybe your parents moved here with just the clothes on their backs; but built a home and community. Perhaps your situation had nothing to do with being poor and an immigrant; maybe your mother raised you and your siblings, on her own, to be amazing people, parents and activists. Perhaps, you don’t know your birth parents, (you can still figure out your roots with Ancestry.com) or you just don’t like them very much. Who are you today? You are strong, smart, and powerful in your ambitions. Be grateful for everything before you, because it is what builds you and pushes you forward. 

“I am grateful for my family and being Ukrainian American. My parents, Mychajlo and Maria Wikarczuk, embraced American traditions as soon as they emigrated to the US in 1951. Thanksgiving was a special holiday with all the traditional fixings and family gatherings and thankfulness for precious freedoms. They were proud Americans, but kept their Ukrainian traditions steadfast, and I thank them for showing me the importance of my heritage and love of country.”

Stephanie C.

“Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I am grateful that this country – MY country embraced me and my family when we came to the USA on December 4, 1977. Andrij and I plan to live in Lviv, Ukraine once we retire but I will continue celebrating Thanksgiving.”

Eryna K.

Abilities

A broad topic as it covers not only our senses and physical abilities, but our creative abilities.  Be thankful you can use all your senses; walk, speak, play with your kids, fart even. You may have the ability to make people feel happy. You may teach, dance, write beautiful songs, or embroider works of art.  Be grateful that you can see and hear the beauty all around us, but also for the ability to create it and share it.  Some can bring people together and build powerful teams by being effective leaders and mentors. While others can bring their family together and lead them through life, to become positive aspects in the lives of others.  

“Another great honor and pleasure for me, as President of the Philly area UCCA, is to have successfully led our Eastern Pennsylvania team’s advocacy efforts in Washington, DC and in Harrisburg, PA. We have helped to create and to sustain for our homeland the bi-partisan financial, military and humanitarian relief support of the United States Congress. We assisted with having both houses of Congress and the PA Senate proclaim the Holodomor to have been a genocide and to set aside a time for the commemoration of the victims.”  

Eugene L.

If you have limited physical abilities, be grateful for patience, hope and your perseverance to continue and reach your goals. If God has blessed you with all your abilities, you should be thankful every day, and not just on Thanksgiving.

Art and Beauty

Nature is a beautiful gift given to us by God; how it all just naturally comes together, completely out of our control.  The tall mountains, old caves, ocean waves, the sky filled with stars and new things to discover. How the animals instinctively survive, as God intended. How your fury best friends know how to make you feel loved.

“I am grateful for the pure love and companionship of my greyhound Lada, who, from the first day of adoption displayed her intellectual prowess and Houdiniesque abilities.” 

Lilliana C.

Appreciate the beauty of how our lives are delicately formed, even with all the good and bad choices, God gave us the freedom to make.  The miracle of mothers, and their children born to remind them of their own grandmother.  And the mothers who are blessed with children, not of their own womb, but perfectly matched. 

“I am thankful for getting it wrong! I always knew I would be a mom. I knew I would get pregnant, gaze down at my growing belly and watch my future grow. I would someday have a child with my mom’s eyes, my dad’s smile. I am thankful for the infertility journey full of tears, injections, and grief. I am thankful for unplanned pregnancy and adoption. I am most thankful for my beautiful daughter who already has a lot of my mannerisms, amazing confidence, a phenomenal sense of humor and none of my DNA. I am thankful my plans didn’t work out, because she is better than anything I could have imagined. We were always meant to be and now the rest makes sense.”

Kelly W.

Be grateful for the people who create beauty; their profound vision lets them create beautiful art that stimulates our mind.  It’s is a painting, Ukrainian Embroidery, ethnic costumes, or a card your child brings for you.  Be grateful for artists who write music; those heartfelt songs and melodies which make us dance, remind us of the past, or of someone we lost. Let’s be grateful for everything we see and hear that makes us feel alive!

“I am grateful that I have the ability to promote the inherent beauty and richness of Ukrainian art and culture by producing and organizing art and fashion shows for nonprofits.” 

Eryna K.

Achievements

Personal achievements should be remembered, no matter how small they seem.  Everyone has them. Some people are lucky to find joy in their jobs, some don’t, but go in everyday and get it done. Small achievements are never small. They are usually the first step to becoming better, and the first step is always the hardest.  For me it will be an achievement if you read this article, and feel gratitude for the things you forgot to think about.

• Surgeons, help people live pain free, but have to constantly learn, practice, and improve.  
• Life Insurance professionals provide peace of mind to clients and prepare their families for brighter future. 
• Teachers get to know their students; become their mentors and feel joy when their students show progress. 
• Priests – our Spiritual Mentors who positively impact us and encourage growth and confidence. 
• Graduating college is an achievement in itself, but especially, if you had to get through numerous obstacles to get there. 

 “There is no greater joy for me as a professional than to know that my advice and  services have been instrumental in providing peace of mind to my clients; that I have assisted them with reaching a level of financial security and family protection that they might not otherwise have. In this process, I have enjoyed the opportunity have taught members of our community about these sorts of matters; to have given them the knowledge and resources to navigate through the financial world.  I wish All of our members nothing but the best during the approaching Holidays and Holy Days: I wish all of you Many Years of Health, Happiness, Good Fortune and the Bountiful Blessings of the Lord.“

Eugene L.

“I’m grateful that I went back and graduated from college, even though I had deaths in my family and a difficult time getting through it.” 

Mrs. B

“…To have been a part of the creation and operation of our Ukrainian American Youth Civics Club has brought me the greatest joy. The high school age young people have astounded me with their initiative, brilliance, energy, creativity and hard-work. They not only learn about government and their obligations as citizens, but also actively engage in direct, effective advocacy with our team. They organize seminars, conferences and interactive foreign policy games for our Ukrainian heritage School, to which they secured the attendance of Congresspersons, Senators, Judges, Public Policy experts, military officers, and the like. This year, two of them literally presented and taught at high-level conferences on Ukraine and on the Ukrainian American community. They are forging our community’s future.” 

Eugene L.

Technology

Although there are many negatives associated with technology, it has enriched lives around the globe.  The vast amount of information available at our fingertips is immeasurable, and the ability to turn it off is also important. Every human being has the ability to learn, communicate and share with everyone else.  A babcia, in Ukraine while her family lives in the U.S., has the ability to see them every day through Skype. She is less lonely and has a reason to keep getting up in the morning. It’s easy to forget to be grateful for this today, because we can’t imagine life before these technologies were invented.  

“…I would probably say that I’m thankful for the easy access to information as well as the ability to turn the technology off!”

Myron S.

Medical technology improves lives drastically. Knee or hip replacements help people get back on their feet.  Simple medicine for blood pressure or thyroid imbalances gives people the ability to take a pill and be healthy. Psychological advances help people find balance and find joy in every day. 

“Ability to stand on my feet, and return to work.”

M. O. (after hip and knee surgery)

“I am grateful for technological advancements that have improved not only the ease of everyday living, but the state of medicine, education, and security by leaps and bounds.”

D. L

Technology improves quality of life, even with the known disadvantages.  Bill Gates invented a toilet that can be used in areas that don’t have a sewer system. We don’t think about being grateful for toilets, but those people in Africa and Romania would be. 

Be grateful for the minds and hearts of those who create and improve these technologies, and those who donate their wealth and time to do good and help those less fortunate.  

Be grateful for the material things: the car that gets you to your destination; the tools that inspire creativity and projects around the house; toys, clothes, appliances, and everything that improves your life. 

Check out this sentence that actually has 5 things I’m grateful for:

1. The blue tooth speaker that blasts 2. that song I chose on 3. You Tube, that makes me 4. dance in 5. my cozy clean kitchen.  

I.O.

Today, when you go around the dinner table, thank each other for being patient. Thank your parents for their efforts to keep you safe.  Thank your children for always thinking of you when they make decisions. Thank your siblings for listening; giving good advice and babysitting, when you needed it. 

“Grateful for my older brother, he’s my homie.”

N. D.

Be thankful for pastimes and hobbies that give your life more purpose; your church, ethnic organizations, the gatherings with friends, workout groups, and professional networks. This is the time to remind ourselves that we have everything we need.

Finally, Remember to Thank God for His good blessings and the future, which will only bring new things to be grateful for. 

“Велике щастя – зустрічати новий день!” Андрій Кузьменко

Thank you for your input, and for reading.

From all of us, at the Providence Association, We Wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving and may the blessings keep coming!