God Is Good

Today I just want to share an excerpt from a poem I happened to come across that speaks to me in the midst of this foolish, frantic, fractured, frightful modern world, so cruel and so cynical.

Excerpt from "God Is Good" from Bees in Amber by John Oxenham, 1913.

God has been good to me and M.P. here in our little bungalow, and I am deeply grateful.  Gratitude is one of the secrets of happiness.

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A Day of Thanksgiving (1951)

Last year's Thanksgiving table at our house,
which I never got around to posting here.

A week ago, M.P. had a sudden whim at dinner and proposed that we should each name three things we are thankful for each night until Thanksgiving.  This is an excellent idea, and I recommend it to my truckbuddies.  It need not be a religious exercise, just a thoughtful moment of honesty and humility:  an attitude of gratitude is a healthy thing to cultivate.

The same thought is contained in this educational film from 1951 - the sort of thing that smug, self-satisfied sophisticated types roll their eyes and snicker at.  But there is a deep truth here that we ignore at our peril.

Having survived three miserable days without electricity or heat - off and on - in last year's Deep Freeze, my heart really goes out to all those poor people now suffering from lack of the most basic necessities in Ukraine on a scale never seen in America; and winter is only beginning there.

Don't think it can't happen here or can't possibly happen to you; sudden calamity or just simple misfortune can happen to anyone at any time.  Count your blessings while you have them. 

 

All good wishes to my truckbuddies for a safe, warm, and happy Thanksgiving.

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A Thank-You to a Veteran

It seems to me that the country and the world would do well to focus, not on what divides us, but on what unites us all - as in this story, broadcast a couple of months ago on CBS Sunday Morning:

 

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Gratitude

A good message and some stunning photography here - it's worth your time:




Honk to Blue Truck reader Craig for passing this on.

Blue Truck Stats

I started this blog three years ago this month on a whim one Friday night, with no particular plan or purpose.  And it's still just a pastime, a leisurely Sunday drive down the back roads of my mind, going nowhere special.

But even if it's not worth writing home about, I am gratified to note that the Blue Truck now has 100 followers and a little over 120,000 unique visitors, a quarter of a million page views, and 1700 posts. 

Thanks for riding along with me, guys.  Now reach behind the seat and open another cold one.

Nick McCoy - definitely a Blue Truck kind of guy

So Kind

Your Head Trucker was very pleased yesterday to make the happy discovery that the Blue Truck has been given its first award for excellence:

Many thanks for this honor to raulito over at From Top to Bottom (NSFW, but check it out anyway, guys), who says:

This blog deserves a well-earned recognition: it has just about a little bit of everything; from social commentary to entertainment, from male erotica to political opinions. But most importantly, Russ Manley is one very dedicated LGBT rights defender living in the homophobic wilderness that is Texas. I can imagine how hard it must be to face ignorance, superstition and homophobia every day of your life living in a place like Texas…and I do because I went to college there. So this award is given in view of all that and more…may you continue to post ‘till you drop...u are doing a terrific job!

Appreciate ya, bud. Muchas gracias!

Comeback Kids

Your Head Trucker has not watched broadcast TV for many years now, so sometimes I discover clips that are old news to everyone else. But in case you missed this wonderful public service announcement from a couple of years ago, just thought I would share it with my truckbuddies:

I was sad because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet.