Amendment of life

Last year I wrote here that we need to stop telling the untrue story about Thanksgiving and finally admit to the horrible deeds of our ancestors. Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. I like the idea of gathering with family and friends. I enjoy the traditional food. I like the whole idea of giving thanks. I can easily separate all of that from those "first Thanksgiving" stories, because I don't think that is why we gather today. I always think it is important to mend our errors though.

Yes, I didn't do those horrible things, and neither did you, but it was done on our land and in the name of this country. We need to admit it. We also need to move forward and vow to never do anything like that. Let's also look at the good things we have done and the good that have happened in our lives. Our ancestors committed horrors, but they certainly did some positive things as well. We might personally have never done anything that can be described as horrible, but we can still apologize on their behalf. Then, we need to move on.

"Thanksgiving Day has baggage to be sure - in fact, with the atrocities committed, baggage is an understatement. I'm not suggesting we should ignore it either. Perhaps we need to re-invent the day. My suggestion though is that we continue to give thanks; that we continue to gather together. Let us do so honestly though, making reparations for our past, and looking ahead with thankful hearts for all the good that we can be." Those were my words here last year, and I still believe this.

Boxing with Chieh Huang

Just over three years ago, an incredible company was launched in the garage of Chieh Huang. I LOVE their products and I LOVE their service, but this isn't a shopping blog, and most of you know that I never talk about commercial operations. I do want to tell you about Mr Huang though because it seems he is some sort of saint.

As CEO of this company, called Boxed, you might expect him to be sitting in some stuffy office, issuing orders to all his underlings. Nope. Not this guy. Although I have never spoken to him, I've been reading a lot, and it seems his employees adore him. Is that because he pitches in and works alongside everyone? Is it because last year he announced a College Tuition fund for his employees' kids? Is it because he said they would pay for the weddings of their employees, up to $20,000? Is it because he has provided an endless supply of Boxed snacks? People who work at Boxed say Huang has a heart of gold. By the way, Boxed was named to the 2016 Best Places to Work in New York City.

Last month Boxed employees volunteered at Riverside Park on New York City's Upper West Side. The donate time to many great causes, in fact just this week Boxed workers put together 50 boxes filled with toiletry items for parents of pediatric cancer patients at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The company, and individual employees, are generous with donations of money too.

I could go on and on, because this is an organization that really believes in giving back, and there are numerous examples. I'm happy to be a customer, and I'm even happier that people like this still exist in our world! You can find out more at their website, https://www.boxed.com/ (and although, I don't endorse businesses on this blog, you can also place orders via that site with no delivery charge on the first order). Chieh Huang and Boxed - definitely making this a better world!

The passing of a journalist's journalist

Through my many years in broadcast journalism, I never met Gwen Ifill, but I'm sure glad she came our way. Hearing news of her passing yesterday after a months long bout with cancer, brought me to tears, and more tears have flowed at various points since then, as I hear tribute after tribute.

Gwen Ifill, who co-anchored the PBS News Hour, was referred to as "a journalist’s journalist," and every single thing I have heard about her has been positive. Last night, everyone was reporting her death and her own program devoted much of it's time to memories of her.

 

One of her contemporaries said that her office almost looked like a museum because of all the trophies and awards. Earlier this year she added to the many, receiving the John Chancellor Award for Excellence in Journalism from Columbia University. Oh and she's received more than twenty honorary doctorates.

I was touched by her strong faith too. She was a minister's daughter, and that frequently means you run away from the church, but she was very involved. Her pastor said yesterday that she was present each week for worship

I remember the Gwen Ifill years at NBC, because during part of that time, I worked for an NBC affiliate. Her former colleague Pete Williams was brought to tears yesterday several times when he tried to report on her life. Former NewsHour reporter Charlayne Hunter-Gault began sobbing as well. Fighting back his own tears, CNN's Don Lemon closed his thoughts to Gwen Ifill with: "I won't say goodbye, because goodbyes are so hard. But I will say, so long and thank you."

There are countless stories that I could retell here, but the biggest thing is that she made a difference. She was a trailblazer for African Americans and for women and she was a mentor to many. She was fair and honest and she was always real. Gwen Ifill will be missed.

It's my life

He is one of the nicest guys in the world. You already know him as an excellent singer, a gifted songwriter, a superb produced, and a fine actor, but Jon Bon Jovi makes a difference in this world by doing much more than entertain us. He get's involved. You may already know about his political activism from some recent news stories, but his chartable involvement is even greater.

Jon Bon Jovi has done things for Covenant House, the Special Olympics, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Project HOME, and the American Red Cross, to name just a few. He was appointed by President Barack Obama to the White House Council for Community Solutions. He's also raised awareness with Habitat for Humanity for the past eleven years. Bon Jovi has done work too for STOMP Out Bullying, Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center, Save The Music Foundation, Musicians on Call, and more. It seems like I hear about some good thing he has done, just about every day.

Oh and then there is the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, which he founded. This is a really exciting operation that helps a lot of people. I'll let you find out details for yourself from their website at http://www.jonbonjovisoulfoundation.org/ - be sure to read about JBJ Soul Kitchen in Red Bank, NJ too. It's a remarkable concept that feeds and teaches and much more. Click HERE to get a lot more information about the kitchen.

 

After listening to him sing It's My Life one day, I made it my unofficial theme song.  The song inspires me, but much more, Jon Bon Jovi inspires me.  I've never met this man, and I didn't even interview him for this (my information all comes from numerous public sources), but this is someone who makes a difference.  Our blog is all about giving back, and this guy could easily be our poster boy.  I never have seen such a giver.  Support his efforts.  Consider donating to the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation or volunteering your time. 

what Veterans Day asks all of us to think about

Just moments ago at Arlington National Cemetery, President Barack Obama laid a wreath and made a statement, saying in part "Today, on Veterans Day, we honor those who honored our country with its highest form of service: You who once wore the uniform of our Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard. We owe you our thanks. We owe you our respect. And we owe you our freedom."

The President went on to say "On Veterans Day, we acknowledge, humbly, that we can never serve our veterans in quite the same that they served us. But we can try. We can practice kindness. We can pay it forward. We can volunteer. We can serve. We can respect one another. We can always get each other’s backs.

"That is what Veterans Day asks all of us to think about. The person you pass as you walk down the street might not be wearing our nation’s uniform today. But consider for a moment that a year or a decade or a generation ago, he or she might have been one of our fellow citizens who was willing to lay down their life for strangers like us. And we can show how much we love our country by loving our neighbors as ourselves."

 

No matter where you are on the political spectrum, Barack Obama right now is our Commander-In-Chief and his words ring so true.  I hope that we all will learn from them.