Here in Mexico we do not celebrate the arrival of Europeans at Plymouth Rock; the beginning of the ethnic cleansing of the American Indian.

There is a lot to be thankful for. We gather those thoughts each time we participate in this holiday – not the celebration of the landing in Massachusetts; or was it Jamestown, Virginia? That aside we have a great many things for which to be thankful.

We are thankful to have made it to Mexico. It is an adventure to live in a spirited Nation. It is truly a fine country.

We are thankful that we have enough money to live without feeling pressure or fear of rising avocado, tortillas or tequila prices. Mexican government please take note – we have our limits on this.

We are extremely thankful to be living in a place with moderate weather and abundant water. We would be still more grateful if greater attention was given to the effort to not pollute said abundant water.

We are ecstatic about the freedoms we have here in Mexico. Lest you be confused, we assure you this is a far freer nation than anything north of our Mexican border.

We are very happy to have learned that the negative propaganda spewed from north of the border news sources is just that propaganda. We live in a far safer country here in Mexico.

We have to be so very lucky to have met many wonderful fellow expatriates and those wanting to be via the Internet – thank you Al Gore for inventing the darn thing.

We have also acquired some good friends face to face from Internet introductions like Jim and Mindy, Harvey and Mati, Marguerite and Tony, Beto Johnson, Marvin, Ron Stockman, Olivia, Bonnie and Charles, Dave and Rosy and recently Rob in Teocelo. And Jim and Esther – it is Thanksgiving.

We are thankful for the many Mexican friends we have – Vicente and Lidia, Javier and Claudia, Avi and Jero, Miguel and Veronica, Enrique and Teri and too many more to list.

Anita and I are very thankful to have a fine son who shared his life with us 24/7 until he struck out on his own a few years ago. He is a good fellow – we are indeed blessed by him. I do wish he would call more often however.

I am most thankful for Anita who is my best friend and soul mate (we waited years to claim that second part – that truly needs time testing). She makes each day something to look forward to.

I am going to close with a Thanksgiving joke:

Before that first Thanksgiving there were a bunch of American Indians standing on the East Coast shore watching those first ships come billowing in towards land.

One Indian says to another, “That is our problem; we don’t have any immigration laws!”

Anita and I hope you and yours have a wonderful and thankful Thanksgiving Holiday.

Please Stay Tuned!

(Note: Drawing by Newberry Taylor 2008 – Artist and Friend)