Mayor's Minute
Dear Homewood friends and neighbors,
It’s that time of year to celebrate Thanksgiving, and I’ve been giving it much thought. In George Washington’s proclamation of Thanksgiving in 1789, he said, “Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of our Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits…..Now, therefore I do recommend and assign, Thursday the 26th day of November…that we may all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country.”
I’m guilty many times of not being thankful enough for what I have and, instead, looking at all the things I don’t have. I guess we are all that way to a certain extent. It is so easy to see others and to think they have everything, but it’s usually just as easy to look a little further and see someone who has nothing.
Giving thanks for what we have is a way of staying focused on the positive and not the negative. Benjamin Franklin said the sentence which had most influenced his life was, “Some persons grumble because God placed thorns among roses. Why not thank God because he placed roses among thorns?” It’s an interesting way of looking at life and circumstances.
It’s been said that discontent is the penalty we pay for being ungrateful for what we have. I look around Homewood and see so many things in which to be thankful—wonderful neighbors, beautiful homes, lots of children, great parks and at times a bunch of barking dogs. Some may say why be thankful for barking dogs? I don’t know, but it reminds me to be grateful that I can hear. A baby was screaming and crying in church one morning. One lady complained of how irritating it was to hear that. Another said she just closed her eyes and thanked God for giving that little baby such strong and healthy lungs.
Thank you, Homewood neighbors, for being so kind and generous. Few people get dizzy from doing too many good turns, and Homewood has been blessed by the many good things you do each day for each other. I am thankful to be a small part of that.
Sincerely,
Scott McBrayer
Mayor
City of Homewood