Thanksgiving greetings

November 23, 2017

Dear TWU community,

As I reflect on Thanksgiving 2017, many thoughts and images come to mind. The word abundance is attached to all of them. There are an abundance of fall colors and of course all the things that smell good and taste good—and hopefully an abundance of good friends and family.

Here in Texas there now seems to be an abundance of opportunities for just about any skilled individual. Much closer to our professional homes, meaning on Bell, on Fannin, and Southwestern Medical Avenue is an abundance of wonderful TWU faculty and staff who are so committed to help our students develop the skills they need to go forth and create abundance for themselves and others.

My (perhaps) hackneyed use of the term ‘VUCA World’ still seems such a crisp way to describe the abundance of seen and unseen challenges that continually come our way. But on this day, I recall something I once read, maybe even from a greeting card, that said, “it is impossible to be negative when we are giving thanks.”

I hope you agree that each of us has much to be thankful for and that by being thankful we will find freedom from those things that create negativity in our lives.

And now, let me conclude with some Thanksgiving trivia…where was the first Thanksgiving in America? The New England Pilgrims in the early 1600’s you say?

I had to come to Texas to learn that El Paso claims, with authority, to have had the first Thanksgiving celebration in America…Spanish explorer Juan de Oñate and his expedition on April 30, 1598. Of course, another Texas First!

Chad and I wish a Happy Thanksgiving to each of you!!

With much appreciation,

Carine M. Feyten, Ph.D.