This Thanksgiving was a little different than those of the past.
Some time was spent at Erin Fall Fair, as is our family’s custom.
Sunday was the big dinner as both sides of the house joined together to celebrate the holiday.
The week prior, excess from our garden was shared with staff and friends and we trust their festivities were as enjoyable as ours.
This year it was hard not think in a bigger picture sense though and how lucky we are to live in this country.
Images from Las Vegas and the shooting rampage that claimed 58 lives and wounded hundreds of others captivated many viewers across North America. Three Canadians also lost their lives there, in a catastrophic event that has yet to yield answers as to why the madman took aim on a defenseless crowd.
When the News of this incident broke, we contacted friends who were there the week before, unsure of their actual return date. Since their boys were home alone we figured if they weren’t back a visit to their house was in order. News such as this can be disconcerting when the mind starts to race. Fortunately they returned home the night before – although they had checked out the festival venue under the shadow of the Mandalay May Resort. They found that spooky considering the gunman may have well been finalizing his macabre plan that very night.
For 58 families and hundreds of others, a query into their well-being didn’t result in the good News we received. Instead, it was the starting point of days and weeks of suffering, realizing they had perished or were hurt.
CNN had a show this past Friday night honouring the victims. Each fallen soul had a story and all were remembered well by family, friends and co-workers. As each vignette played out, it became more and more apparent that this crazed individual had stolen some of humanity’s best. Good people, friendly people, smart people, kind people – lost due to the selfish, maniacal conduct of a man yet to be figured out. A good number of those interviewed wondered aloud about what could have been had their friend or loved one not been struck down so prematurely.
We can all be thankful this year that we still have our friends and families. Prayers and best wishes for others not so lucky are in order too.
Give thanks every day, because we know not what tomorrow brings.
