Thanksgiving 

By: Karen J. Allen
Co-Publisher, On the Gay Horizon

Thanksgiving. Of all the holidays that we celebrate, this one actually has the most potential. It makes no difference what your religion is or whether you aspire to any sort of belief system or not. You're not expected to support Hallmark or decorate graves. No one's dog has to cower under the bed during fireworks. There's no morning-after recovery from toasting a new year. Liking turkey is not even a hard and fast requirement.

Who couldn't benefit from spending even a part of a day in an attitude of being thankful?

As I was struggling with how I wanted to write this, I realized that I don't remember much about Thanksgiving during my growing up years. I actually have a lot of blank spaces in my memory bank for those years. I believe that's because I was pretty unhappy most of the time and I let that overshadow everything else.

I wouldn't recommend it as a learning tool, but losing my partner two years ago and the resulting grieving process has brought me a heightened level of awareness in certain areas. Grief colors everything. Being focused on what is missing robs you of appreciating what you do have. Just like being unhappy as a kid caused me to hold life at arm's length.

We all go through tough times. Individually and collectively. They are inevitable. But they never last. Somehow, we always manage to come out the other side. If we allow all of our experiences and relationships to be affected by what is wrong or painful or lacking then we turn a tough time into a tragedy.

If our community chooses to remain angry and bitter until we reverse the recent loss of rights, then we will lose far more than can be taken from us by any ballot initiative. It is in our power to spend the time between now and full equality as victims or in an attitude of thankfulness for the immense gains that have been made in our lifetime. The same amount of time will pass either way.

On a personal level, that often quoted line from Whittier's poem has been running through my head, "...of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: It might have been!"  I think perhaps that could be taken a step farther. Of course it's sad to miss an opportunity. But, sadder I believe is when you actually have something --- or someone --- special in your life and you fail to recognize or appreciate them. That someone may have passed through our life without ever knowing what they meant to us seems to me to be the saddest of all.

So, let me take this opportunity to express my gratitude --- and Ann-Marie's --- for all of you. Your time is precious and we do not take it lightly that you allow us into your busy lives.

Now, I believe there is a turkey sandwich in my imminent future.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Want to tell us about something you are especially thankful for? We would love to hear from you at admin@onthegayhorizon.com .

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 Something Else to be Thankful for...

By: Ann-Marie Giglio
Co-Publisher, On the Gay Horizon

We now know that about 80 per cent of all cancers are environmentally caused.  That's bad news --- and good news.   That means we can control some things.  We can add exercise and movement to our lives.  And we can choose to eat foods that nourish us whenever possible.  Certain foods even prevent or inhibit cancerous cell growth.  Here's a list of common vegetables that inhibit development of brain, colon, lung, and/or prostate cancers:

These foods can fit easily into a roasting pan or soup.  With the cooler weather here, you can think of these --- and use these --- as double comfort foods!  Quite a few go well with a Thanksgiving feast.

If you find all this interesting or want to know more, take a look at Dr. David Servan-Schrieber's book, Anti-Cancer:  A New Way of Life.   

And let's be thankful for the knowledge --- the opportunity --- to do something positive for ourselves and our family's health --- and prosperity.