True Thanksgiving

Gaylord Nelson, founder, Earth Day, says: "The ultimate test of a man's conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for the future generations whose words of thanks may not be heard."

As our nation prepares to usher in the season of "thanks," I want to acknowledge those whose greatness is measured not by the numbers of people who know their name, but rather by the countless times they offered an innovative idea to "prop-up" their communities; a "helping hand-up;" a word of encouragement to "lift-up;" or a challenge for those they loved to "get-up;" when they've been knocked down by the circumstances in life. 

In his book, "Quiet Strength," written after the loss of his son, Super Bowl winning coach Tony Dungy sums up life with the following words:

"It's about the journey - mine and yours - the lives we can touch, the legacy we can leave and the world we can change for the better… Quiet strength describes a "quiet, unassuming person whose actions cause great change."

"True Thanksgiving" is a daily celebration for the sacrifices of time, talent and treasure by those striving to make our world a better place. To this end, I want to leave you with a story of 1 person with 1 idea whose quiet strength is changing our world 1 bottle at a time!