Thanksgiving is not just a special day to break up the time between Labor Day and Christmas; it is a day set aside for Americans to contemplate and express gratitude to God for the blessings afforded them. Thanksgiving will be just a memory after you may have finished the leftovers or thrown away the remains with a little green stuff growing on them! Then, the hustle and bustle of Christmas will take on full steam.  However, I want to encourage you to spend a few extra days reflecting on THANKSGIVING and the good things in your life. Take time to express an extra word of thanks to God for those who are most important to you. 

A well-known spiritual song says to “Give thanks with a grateful heart.”  In 31 different Bible books the writers encourage us to give thanks for pretty much everything in our lives, and reminds us to be grateful to God for all that is good. Well, I am grateful for many things including this great Association. I’m glad it has become the focal point for bringing together all of us through the common bond of having struggled and overcome! I am grateful for the Directors and Officers who give of themselves to maintain order and direction in our efforts to discover and record the accurate history of Signal Corps OCS and for their untiring efforts to locate every single graduate possible. I am grateful for those who provide administrative, legal and web site support for the Association. I am grateful for the friendship of so many of you, especially those who personally helped me survive and graduate! I am grateful for the legacy that so many deceased graduates have left for the rest of us.   

Here is something I recommend to help you express thanks often to those you encounter, who may need an encouraging word of thanks: Carry a pad of small pad of Post-It Notes in your pocket and write a note of thanks to people…waiters, flight attendants, mechanics, teachers, your religious leaders, school crossing guards, bank tellers, a fast food drive-thru person, your own grandkids, and many others that may come to your mind. You never know when a NOTE of encouragement may lift someone out of a mentally challenging situation.