I’m grateful we are alive today

I’m thankful my family and I have home with roof and windows in this beautiful country I call home. But is it really beautiful for everyone in the world and everyone who live here?

Two weeks ago during my dog walk I saw someone sleeping on a bench. It was a cold night. I ran home to get my blanket and a few dollars to give it to him.
In Manhattan NY, where I often see homeless people, I had run to the stores to buy socks or dog foods when I saw the needs. But it was my first to see someone sleeping outside in my own Brooklyn neighborhood.

Homeless people in general are humble nice people. One time I said to a man who was asking for money “I’m sorry I don’t have money with me” and he responded with such kind gratitude and smile and said “THANK YOU for speaking to me. At least you responded. I don’t get that often”.

Some makes me smile but I always get sad afterwards, knowing what I did wasn’t enough.
I wish there were home for everyone.

There are so much fund raising invites coming from every cause I care and we are being squeezed to empty our saving to feel good about what we could do to help. What if I had thousands of dollars I give to my government to give to the causes?
I would feel good and proud about paying my tax if it goes to the needy, but my money is mostly spent on bullets and bombs that kill innocent people and environment we pollute.

On the day we show gratitude, White House shows it cares by “pardoning" one turkey but other turkeys’ flesh decorate their festival dining tables.
45 millions turkeys are being slaughtered for one day of Thanksgiving in America.

However, it’s nice to see homeless people being served a nice meals on this day.
Just as one turkey we pardon, we care to feed homeless on Thanksgiving but don’t even look at them on other days.

As Leo Tolstoy said "As long as there are slaughterhouses, there will be battlefields". If we can’t extend our compassion to others, there would always be people killing others.

49 millions of Americans are starving. Most of us are working overtime just to pay rent and utilities.

We can’t afford to give $11 million a day to Israel military every single day, or maintain 1000 military bases in the world and keep building more.

Who would take care of our people who are struggling at home? America first!?
Then let’s give love to our people first, then we wouldn’t be so fearful to attack other countries to begin with.

Happy Thanksgiving! This is vegan dinner I made.