Happy Thanksgiving~~~

Hello Sweet Things,

I am on my laptop, and am going to be heading towards my family home via the train, where I'm at has Wi Fi and I want to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving.

I will be with my family for the next few days, Joe, Frank and his girl friend Eva, will be having Thanks giving with Lillian and Heather, then Joe has to go on duty, no chance for the "Turkey Snooze" as he calls it.

He's been exhausted with moving the "Occupy Oaklanders" from hither to yon, and he's discovered that many of these so called protesters are long time homeless people who refuse to go to shelters, get help or anything, a waste of resources and energy he says. But it seems that the cold and the rain is taking the wind out of them for now. He's hoping that they will form themselves into a more legal positive advocate group to help people who are out of work, losing their homes etc. and give them legal assistance instead of protest demonstrations which only attract the violent elements.

But it's the city of Oakland and it's tax payers who are the losers, businesses have lost business, some have refused to settle here which is a loss of job opportunities, according to some of my sources if "Occupy Oakland" did not do their demonstrations, nearly 1,000 jobs were going to come to Oakland, but are now lost and over $2 million in taxpayers money has been wasted on "Occupy Oakland", money that could have been put to better use.

The general consensus at my office is that the "Occupy" groups have not done much good, true they have pointed out what is wrong with the government and Wall Street but they are not doing it where it needs to be done---Washington D.C. and right on Wall Street in front of the Stock Exchange---but then who wants to freeze in the snow.

I can understand why college students are protesting the increase in tuition's, considering that the State Government is cutting off funds, but when I was going to college I worked, went to school shared a room with 4 other girls, sometimes went with out food, wore clothing from thrift shops, used free clinics for health care, and just scrambled to exist.

They say that education is a "right"---I'd have to agree but---and here is where I know some people may disagree with me, which is alright---because it's only my opinion. So here is where I disagree---all children have a right to education from kindergarten through the 12 grade or High School, which is paid for though the taxes as paid by the citizens of the city, county, state, country----and that will give one the basic skills as needed to get most basic jobs.

But if when one is in High school or even younger, one decides on what vocation or career choice you wish to "train" for then that is on your own coin, you want to be a Doctor, Lawyer, financier, you pay for it when you go to College and other qualified learning institutions. You want to be a carpenter, plumber, electrician, mechanic you pay for it going to vocational school and becoming qualified for it and then apprentice yourself on the job to learn more.

You want to become a first class chief---you pay for it, you want to become a legal secretary or para-legal you pay for it.

You pay to learn these skills and then you work to improve upon it and become masters of your craft, learning from the masters to pass that craft on. And it is hard! Very hard.

One time I was walking back to my shared room from work (to save on bus fare) I had to sit down on a front stoop, because my feet were aching and I knew I still had 12 long blocks to go, there was an elderly African-American gentleman sitting at the top of the stoop and he said I could sit to rest my feet.

We talked as the blood got back to my toes, about life, school, education and he said to me, with a pardon for using inappropriate language "Gas, Grass or Ass, nobody, but nobody gets a free ride, we've all gotta work fo' it Missy, we's all gotta work fo' it. And when we works fo' it, it's all the sweeter." He reminded me of the Aesop's fable of the Grasshopper and the Ant and said "That Aesop feller, he talks about life and how stupid and greedy and lazy people's can be and doin' it on the backs of us Ants, not right ya know, and then when their candy is takin' away they's cry about it, well don't cry I's says, go and works for it"

I walked many a time down that street while I was working and going to school, he'd call me Missy and I called him Mister, I never did learn his name, he never asked for mine, but there was many a time I'd rest on that stoop when he was there and we'd talk.

When I got my degree I walked to that stoop in the hopes of seeing him there but he wasn't so I rang the front door and his daughter came to the door. I told her about our talks and I wanted to let him know I graduated and was going to get my first job. The lady sadly smiled at me and said that they took him to the hospital the other day, he had a heart attack and died.

She asked me for my name and I said "He always called me Missy and I always called him Mister" she looked at me sort of strangely and said "He started sitting on the front stairs and kept saying he was waiting for Missy, then he'd come in after a time and said he and Missy had a nice talk. My husband and I thought that he was dreaming, because Missy was my younger sister's name and she died some years ago."

The lady told me that Missy had a lot of talent and potential but wasted it when she got involved with drugs and died from an overdose, they thought he was dreaming when he'd started talking about his talks he had with Missy but never discouraged him because he'd seem happy and the day before his Heart Attack he said he knew Missy would get her diploma and do good. She was stunned to learn I was the "Missy" he was talking about. And her sister always called their Dad "Mister".

We fell crying into each others arms, she thanked me for making her Dad happy and I thanked her for all the wisdom her Dad gave me.

Now when someone comes along and I know they are working hard and "paying their dues" to get that job or position and I know they would be good at it, I help them, because they are the Ants who work and strive.

And every Thanksgiving I say a prayer and give Thanks to having meet "Mister".

Happy Thanksgiving Sweet Things! Kisses