KATHY MITCHELL AND MARCY SUGAR | Annie's Mailbox Essay reprinted in memory of Ann Landers

Dear Readers: Today is Thanksgiving. We hope you are lucky enough to be spending the holiday with loving family and friends. If you know someone who is alone today, please open your house and your hearts, and invite him or her to join you. Such a gesture will not only make the day special for everyone, it will serve as a lesson to your children about kindness and generosity of spirit.
One of Ann Landers' favorite Thanksgiving essays was called "Everyday Thanksgiving." She last printed it in 1999. We would like to print it again as a way of remembering her today:
Everyday Thanksgiving
(Author Unknown)
Even though I clutch my blanket and growl when the alarm rings each morning, thank you, Lord, that I can hear. There are many who are deaf.
Even though I keep my eyes tightly closed against the morning light as long as possible, thank you, Lord, that I can see. There are many who are blind.
Even though I huddle in my bed and put off the effort of rising, thank you, Lord, that I have the strength to rise. There are many who are bedridden.
Even though the first hour of my day is hectic, when socks are lost, toast is burned and tempers are short, thank you, Lord, for my family. There are many who are lonely.
Even though our breakfast table never looks like the pictures in magazines and the menu is at times unbalanced, thank you, Lord, for the food we have. There are many who are hungry.
Even though the routine of my job is often monotonous, thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to work. There are many who have no job.
Even though I grumble and bemoan my fate from day to day, and wish my circumstances were not so modest, thank you, Lord, for the gift of life.
Dear Annie: My five adult children have told me they don't like to visit because there is nothing for their children to do at my house and they get bored. One son has been in my home three times in the last 16 years. His family does not visit for holidays. The others live within a day's drive, but the story is the same.
How are grandparents supposed to get their children and grandchildren to visit? I cannot entertain them around the clock. Must I install a swimming pool or tennis court in the hope that one day they will show up? I love my children dearly and want to be part of my grandchildren's lives, but I do not understand why they cannot accept my life as it is. What can I do? Grandma in Palestine, Texas
Dear Grandma: How sad that your family cannot appreciate seeing Grandma without a Broadway production. Still, if all five of your children treat you the same way, there could be something else going on. You don't need to install a swimming pool, but what about games, hobbies or a trip to the movies? Are there other kids in the area for the grandchildren to play with?
Try to find ways to enhance the visits and make the grandchildren eager to see you. You also might want to invest in a computer so you can e-mail them and take an interest in their daily lives. Relationships require effort on both sides.
Dear Annie: Is there a guideline for obituaries? If someone was raised in Place A, then left the area and died 50 years later in Place B, should the family put a death notice in Place A's newspaper? No Family Left in Oshkosh, Wis.
Dear Oshkosh: A death notice lets people know someone has died. If you think anyone in Place A would be interested, by all means, put the notice in.
XE-mail your questions to anniesmailbox@tbi.com, or write to: Annie's Mailbox, P.O. Box 118190, Chicago, Ill. 60611.
Creators Syndicate