RUST COMMENTARY: COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS!

Count your blessings: What with the state of life in Haiti, Bosnia, China, Africa, Cuba etc. etc. etc., we should all be thankful for being able to live in this free country and land of opportunity.

There's an old song that recommends falling asleep not by counting sheep but by counting one's blessings. This THANKSGIVING let's all give thanks for the blessings we have and save what's wrong for another day.

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Character is what GOD and the angels know of us; reputation is what men and women think of us. -- Horace Mann

Character is what you are in the dark. -- Dwight Moody

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Flew to DYERSBURG, TENN., Sunday to visit son JON at his newspaper. He shared his Thanksgiving column with me. It's about character, respect and insight, and I felt it should be shared with you:

"I like to arrive at the office before anyone else so that I can focus on a few projects without distraction and plan the rest of my day. Last Thursday, the phone rang early and it was my mom and grandmother in the car on their way to St. Louis.

"Apparently, Grandma had recently seen `Seven Years in Tibet,' and they were talking about their knowledge of the historical events portrayed in the movie. In the course of this discussion, my grandma decided she wanted to try to locate a book by a young American who had been in Tibet during the time that the man played by Brad Pitt in the movie had been there. Neither one could remember the name of the author exactly or the book's title, but they knew it existed, because my grandmother had seen it years before. So they picked up the cellular phone and called me, hoping I could help.

"Few things are as pleasurable as receiving a phone call from my grandma with a request for help. You see, even well into her 80s, she is an independent lady with much on her schedule. In fact, if I do not schedule time with her on trips to my hometown Cape Girardeau, it's sometimes difficult to see her. Several times I've called to see if I could take her to lunch, and she's responded, `Well, I already have plans to go to lunch with someone else. Next time you need to call me in advance.'

"And I have to be careful about not falling behind on my knowledge of national and international events, because she'll often zing me with questions about current happenings around the globe. She is also one of the closest readers of the Dyersburg News and Dyer County Tennessean and is never shy in offering suggestions. The most recent one: We need a better proofreader.

"An independent lady who travels around the world in the many books she reads -- and who lives with a 100-pound Labrador -- my grandma rarely asks for assistance on anything. So I was happy to be called.

"After a few questions, I knew we had enough information. While continuing to talk, I opened the Internet connection on my computer and linked to Amazon.com, the largest bookseller on the Web. Tapping in the basics about subject matter and the last name of the author, I quickly found the book they wanted. It was out of print, but Amazon.com has a wonderful search service, which will try to find such books in affiliates around the world. I knew it was only a matter of time before it found a used one. And sure enough, minutes later, I received an e-mail from the company saying it had found a copy and would send it to me.

"It's fascinating to me how quickly the world changes. Here we are, my grandmother and I, talking on a cellular phone while she and my mom drive 70 miles an hour in a comfortable car on a smooth and straight interstate to St. Louis. Meanwhile, I'm tapping on a computer, communicating with a company in Seattle, which is in turn searching bookstores around the world for a title no longer in print. And, minutes later, the book is found.

"I don't think of my grandmother as old, because she is filled with so much energy and good cheer. But to think: When she was a girl, there were still gaslights in her hometown of St. Louis. Electricity was a luxury. Television and radio were yet to be invented, and telephones were just starting out. At the time, there was no easy way to travel from St. Louis south, except by meandering through narrow county roads. And the cars then didn't go very fast and weren't all that comfortable, if you lucky enough to be one of the few who could afford one.

"Sometimes, in the hustle and bustle of today's world, we take so much of what we have for granted. We forget that central heat -- and indoor plumbing -- haven't always been around. We forget that refrigeration and grocery stores weren't always there with fresh food at convenient prices. We take for granted microwaves and stoplights and photocopiers. Worse yet, we take for granted the people around us, our friends and family -- and God and his son.

"Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. And I will be heading to join my mother and father and brothers and sisters and all their children around the dinner table. Together, before we begin eating, we will clasp hands and pray. And we will sing our traditional songs about Harvest Home. And my favorite:

"`The Lord's been good to me, and so I thank the Lord for giving me, the things I need, the sun, the rain and the apple seed. The Lord's been good to me.'

"Each of us has been given much from God. To Grandma and my parents, thank you for growing our family. Thank you for planting the seeds and nurturing them with love, warmth and care. And to the rest of you: Happy Thanksgiving. There is much in life to celebrate. And please, if you can, open you home to someone in need during these holidays. There is no better way to give a little back to God. Make that telephone call to a family member. Or stop by the friend who is alone. Again, happy Thanksgiving." -- Jon K. Rust, publisher, Dyersburg News and Dyer County Tennessean

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From the RUST FAMILY to all of our business associates, readers and friends ... HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

~Gary Rust is president of Rust Communications, which owns the Southeast Missourian and other newspapers.