Be thankful for snail mail andfor glasses half fullI'm looking forward to the holidays, if for no other reason but to get the mail.It's the time of year when our rural mailbox holds the promise of something handwritten and personal. We look forward to the brightly-colored envelopes with seasonal stamps that stand out among the usual bulk-rate, white rectangular business envelopes.It occurred to me last month that one of the few remaining bright spots of birthdays at my age is getting birthday greetings the old-fashioned way.I received a small handful of cards in a delightful array of colored envelopes, with my name and address (the rural route that?s becoming a numbered street) penned on the front delivered by the mailman in our tin mailbox at the end of the driveway.I was reminded again that progress doesn?t always take the form of technology. Not to discount thoughtful correspondence that reaches me via e-mail, there?s really nothing like getting a "hard-copy" message to hold on to.My countertop was decorated with birthday cards propped up on their folded edges, and holiday snail mail will similarly decorate a designated wall in the kitchen as it arrives.A person can't do that with an e-mail, even if it's printed on 8 1/2 by 11 paper, even if it's on colored paper. It just doesn't have the same warming effect.I suppose this is the reason Hallmark continues developing its greeting card market, much in the same way newspapers can count on hard-copy subscriptions.As handy as cyber communication is, we simply can't prop our computer screens on the kitchen table or hang them on the front of the fridge.Be thankful... even if you have to look for reasonsI've never met Carman Oldre and I may never know her, but I was touched by her observations of life in Afghanistan where she's stationed with the Army. (See her information on this page).She's a classic example of the "glass-is-half-full" philosophy we should all consider adopting at Thanksgiving.She lives and works north of Kabul, in an impoverished area whose people have been at war for 23 years and have been left with nothing."This past year I have experienced sorrow, fear, exhaustion and disappointment," she writes. "The frailty of life looks me in the eye every day."Rather than see the hopelessness of the situation, Carman recognizes the joy of making small, important improvements where she's able. And for that she?s thankful.How about this for attitude: She has to walk three blocks on ice and cold to use the port-a-john, but she's thankful for toilet paper when it's available.There's a lot of hurt in the world...everybody hurts. Some people have bigger hurts than others.For people with "glasses half empty," these hurts can ruin the spirit of Thanksgiving and Christmas. With really nothing to be thankful for, why celebrate, right?I guess my response to this is simple: If you're looking for reasons to be thankful this year, read Carman's letter.Then, look a little harder.
