I was in Pittsburgh this past Tuesday on business, but I made a point to stop by the Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill. When I was in graduate school back in the late Seventies my wife and I had our first apartment around the corner and we attended High Holiday services there.  I had called ahead but all I got was a recorded message, and when I drove by there was a police car parked at the entrance. I was content to park my car, place a stone outside where some flowers had been laid and say a prayer.

We live in a time of senseless killing, hatred and unhinged political discourse in America that threatens our sense of decency and the foundations of our democracy.  So much so that it might easily cause one this wonder what we can be thankful for.

This Thanksgiving my wife and I, along with our one-year old dog Sparky hosted our two children, their spouses, three grandchildren, their two dogs and my wife’s mother.  A true recipe for chaos and anarchy!  It was wonderful to be with everyone, the food was great as usual, my wife’s mother enjoyed herself, and the dogs didn’t destroy anything.  I’m thankful for this.

When things are changing all around us and what was once recognizable now becomes unrecognizable, we must do whatever we can to make some kind of difference.  But we can’t lose sight of the small things; those moments in our personal lives that are really so important, like everything about this holiday and those we celebrate it with. I am thankful for all of that. I am also thankful that I can make photographs with film, and print them in my darkroom on silver gelatin paper. I am thankful that I have a choice of films, papers and chemicals I can easily obtain. I am thankful that my fifty year old cameras and lenses can still be repaired and maintained by skilled experts. I am thankful that I can find the time in my busy life to do this work that makes me so happy. I am thankful that I have the opportunity to teach and hopefully motivate others to find their own vision.  Finally I am thankful that I can find something I want to say here every week and that doing so has led me to others that share the same passion for this wonderful medium.

So all in all I have a lot to be thankful for. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends and family. Take a moment to think about all those small things you have to be thankful for; they probably add up to something much greater than you thought!