NEW AMERICAN TRUTH: November 2007

Letter From The Editor
November 2007

November is always such a significant month for me. A lot happens.

Veterans’ Day is celebrated on the 11th although we’ll observe it on the 12th. The birthday for the United States Marine Corps is November 10th. Since I have four brothers and a son who are all Marines, I’ll be making lots of phone calls and sending out birthday cards. A very good friend of mine, who is actually a former Marine, has his birthday on the same day: November 10th. He gets to celebrate for two reasons.

Then a couple of weeks go by and we get to celebrate Thanksgiving. My youngest son will have a birthday this month as well. When I look at everything there is to recognize, celebrate and be thankful for this month, it does sometimes seem slightly overwhelming. For those of you who feel a similar impact, and for those of you who might not, I’m going to ask you to do a couple of things as your schedules permit:

1) On Veterans’ Day – whether you actually do it on the 11th or wait until the 12th – make the time to speak with every veteran you know. Let them know you appreciate their service to our country. THANK THEM for having given that part of their life and let them know it wasn’t wasted. Tell them how thankful you are to be an American, living in an America that THEIR service helped to protect and defend.

2) At Thanksgiving – include those very same veterans’ in any prayers of thanks that you offer to God in whatever way you worship. I don’t care what name you give him. I don’t care whether you go to a church, synagogue or mosque. When you pray and offer thanks, please include those men and women who sacrificed – even if it was only their time – to keep our country safe and free. Pray for the leadership of our military. Pray for those who serve today.

Finally, take a moment to look back across the past twelve months to Thanksgiving of 2006 and consider what changes have occurred in your life since then. Recognize the challenges and consider what circumstances allowed you to meet those challenges. Don’t be upset that you had a challenge to overcome. Be thankful for those people and things in your life that supported you to meet that challenge head on and secure a positive outcome. Thinking about those people and things may lead you to recognize additional blessings in your life that you should offer up prayers of thanks for.

Fall is always a beautiful time of year. The United States of America has some truly majestic scenery, and in some places it’s all the more spectacular when the leaves start to change and the cooler breezes blow. Make some time to go for a walk. Make some time to go on a camping trip. Make time to review your preparedness plans and double check equipment that might have expirations. Find a way to ENJOY the weather.

At the end of every year – usually in the first or second week of December – I sit and type up a “year in review” email for my family members. It’s a simple way to review the year, remember good times, identify challenges, and note those things that happened which I’m especially happy with. Given that I have four children, three of whom are teenagers, there are always challenges and there are always things to be happy with and experiences to learn from. My thoughts about that email and what I should or shouldn’t include usually start at the beginning of November. I will occasionally make notes about specific events or special memories. Significant changes in the family setting or structure have to be included. As an example, this year’s email will include my son’s graduation from USMC Basic Training and my daughter’s enlistment in the Army, and probably her graduation from Basic Training as well, depending on timing.

All too often in today’s world we get so caught up in the business of getting through each day that we don’t have or make the time to stop and appreciate those things in our life that carry great value. I like money as much as the next guy but I’m not proud of it; acquiring it isn’t something I’ll include in that email; it neither helps nor hurts my health or that of my family; it helps keep the pantry stocked true, but our tastes are simple so not a lot is needed. Thanksgiving, and moving into Christmas, are the perfect time of year to contemplate what you and your family have. If you’re not happy with something in your life, this is the perfect time of year to identify it and begin building a plan to change it. By the time the new year starts, you’ll have identified a resolution and a plan for accomplishing it.

Take a moment. Be thankful. THINK about what you have and what blessings you enjoy. THANK those who have acted in a way that allow you to enjoy those blessings. THANK those who have performed their duties resulting in your continued enjoyment of those blessings. Rather than just oinking-out on Thanksgiving Day, give genuine thanks for what you have and take action to express it to those who matter.

I’d like to THANK YOU, our readership, for making our (almost complete) first year of New American Truth a relative success. Many didn’t think we’d last three months. Some said, “maybe six”. Eleven months later we’ve laid out our editorial calendar for 2008 and are looking forward to SHOT Show in February. 2008 is going to be an interesting year.

Stay Safe!

Frank Borelli
Editor-in-chief