Thanksgiving Wishes

Hello all!



I just wanted to send a quick email to say Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!



There is nothing like travel to remind me just what I am thankful for and this trip has done a particularly wonderful job. The first and most obvious thing traveling reminds me of is all of the people I respect, admire, and care about that distance constricts contact with (each and everyone of you have been hand picked for this mass email because of this very reason - whether you like it or not). I am very thankful for the role each of you has played in my life and look forward to all of our future interactions.



Secondly, I am thankful for the living circumstances I have been born into. I am able to find a job... even be choosy finding a job, I can live in a home with a spare bedroom if I like, I can own a car and go wherever I like, I can get a free education and go onto advanced schooling if I like, I can speak my mind, I can form groups to change my government, I can be proud to be a woman, I can live without fear of bombs and guns, I can practice whatever religion suits me best, I have health care, I have a government that (generally) works for me, I have clean water, I have sanitary clinics, I have safe roads to travel on, I have heat in the winter, there is little trash in my streets, there are so many things I have to be grateful for... I am fortunate because many people around the world cannot say the same thing about their living conditions.



Now my challenge is not to take these things for granted, to never complain about what I have, to wake up each morning thankful for everything around me, to be truly alive in the moment, to make sure I am not taking more than my fair share, and to live each day working to better these conditions for myself, my children, and others around the world.



I will end this email here and wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with loved ones! Below are some of the pictures that have been sent to us from you over the last 7 months... if you are not on there... send us a picture! Click on any picture to see it larger.



Much Love,




-Michele-











Happy Thanksgiving!



I hope this years holiday finds you happy and healthy and celebrating with family and/or friends, eating to your hearts content, and watching the Broncos bounce back after Sunday's meltdown. :) I was fortunate enough to catch my first football game of the season yesterday...unfortunately it was the last 10 minutes of the Bronco-Chargers game. These 10 minutes of football reminded me of the joy of the game and frustration and pain of being a loyal Broncos fan. I don't know if I was the best ambassador for the great sport, because the only thing worse than talking and pleading to a television screen in the privacy of your own home is yelling "Plummer!" from the depths of your soul while watching in a guesthouse full of Thai people who A) don't know anything about football and B) don't know what "Plummer" means. All things considered, I wouldn't change a thing...except for not having to yell "Plummer!" so much.



Other than watching my team fall apart and getting extremely homesick thinking of the holidays, everything is going really well (just trying to be dramatic). For those of you who didn't get Michele's last update, I'll try to summarize the latest...



Michele doesn't have rabies and is completely healthy. We changed our plans to be as safe as possible and are currently traveling in Northern Thailand while she receives her 5 shots. A very friendly house cat bit her on the hand in Southern Laos, and we came back to Thailand to get the vaccine in safe conditions (Laos is classified as a Third World Country and using needles was a concern...not to mention availability of the vaccine). No big deal in the grand scheme of things, and the only noticeable side effect for us is MIchele's new found, ridiculously unhealthy fear of cats. :)



So what have we done with our time? We've had fixed travel periods in between shots (2 days, 3 days, 7 days, 14 days) and have used them to explore central and northern Thailand. In the last 3 shots, we have visited Kanchanaburi (famous for the Bridge over the River Kwai where 98,000 people died building the Death Railway to Burma during WWII), the old Thai capitals of Ayuthaya and Sukothai, and have developed an expertise in Bangkok public transport (we've had to return to Bangkok for each shot).



We are currently in Chiang Mai, the second largest city in Thailand and old capital of the north. The north is very beautiful and we have enjoyed getting back into the green mountains, visiting gorgeous temples (called wats in Thailand), and learning about ethnic minority tribes that inhabit the Burmese/Thai/Laos border region. Michele has also spent her time developing a workable knowledge of Thai (something I gave up on when we left for Laos). A commendable feat.



Tomorrow we're going to start our final 10 day trip before the last shot by traveling along the Burmese/Thai border and hopefully learn about the Burmese refugees that have fled the instability in Myanmar. I really wish we had more time to explore the region to learn about these people and hear their stories, but we'll have to make due with the time available. If you're interested in the current situation in Myanmar/Burma, a good source is www.irrawaddy.org. Myanmar/Burma has one of the most oppressive governments on the planet and the plight of its people has been overlooked by the rest of the world. The United Nations is looking like they might finally take action, so, if you are interested, now would be a good time to get involved and put pressure where it's badly needed.



I know this is a pretty general and uninteresting update, but it's been so long that I just need to catch people up to speed. I sincerely hope to put more thoughts about our trip and what I'm experiencing into these emails, and, believe me, there are a LOT of thoughts to put down, but it'll have to wait for a future date. I hope that date comes soon. :)



So that's us. How are you doing? What's news? I hope all is well with you and your family.



I want to send my love and best wishes to everyone for Thanksgiving. I don't know how else to put it, but I've been thinking about a lot of things with the upcoming holidays and I hope you know how much I care for each and every one of you. I know it's cliche, but traveling and seeing how people live around the world (and how I relate to that big picture) have helped me to better appreciate all the beautiful things in my life. I am so thankful to have so many great teachers, friends, acquaintances, etc in my life, and I thank you for giving me so much. There are so many things I'm grateful for this year, but, as always, the people in my life are right on top of the list. I think about you every day and wish you nothing but happiness.



Happy Thanksgiving!



love,



jason