[Oe List ...] two quotes on gratitude

[Charles or Doris Hahn]

I was looking for this Bonhoeffer quote on-line when I ran across the Schweitzer 
one; so I will share both. And, incidentally, I continue to give thanks for this 
community that continues to keep the flame alive. Thank you, Sandra, for 
starting this conversation on thanks and Thanksgiving. And we look forward to 
your leadership in the year(s) to come.


1. Gratitude changes the pangs of memory into a tranquil joy.  Dietrich 
Bonhoeffer


2. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted 
the flame within us. Albert Schweitzer

Then, a memory to share:  Since Thanksgiving, as we celebrate it, is such an 
American holiday, we usually didn't even know when it occurred as we showed up 
in other countries around the world. But one memory sticks with me. When Charles 
and I were on a three-month "research" trip through the Arab world with Joe and 
Carol Pierce in 1966, we were in Tunisia by the end of November (having started 
from Chicago the middle of September). In Tunis, we set out to have a 
conversation with the White Fathers, an Order with deep roots in North Africa. 
While looking for an introduction to them, we visited a Roman Catholic priest 
who (though he was a Brit) was a self-appointed chaplain to the American Peace 
Corps in Tunisa. There were a couple of Peace Corps members at his place; so we 
all chatted, and before we left, one of them invited us to Thanksgiving dinner 
to be held that evening. The invitation came as a jolt, since it had not 
occurred to us that this was in fact American Thanksgiving Day, as we had eaten 
lunch purchased from a local street vendor.

The American accompanied us to the White Fathers that afternoon, and then on to 
the Thanksgiving feast that evening where we had turkey with "all the trimmings" 
and great conversations with Peace Corps members who had come in from the 
hinterlands for the celebration.

Doris Hahn