THE JOY OF TEACHING

As I approach my 70th birthday, I reflect on the blessings from teaching children who come to me filled with the pain of reading failure. Theirs, mingled with mine from several arthritic conditions, fade as we connect in the joyous experiences of successful reading and writing. The gift God gave me never grows old. I cannot get around the way I used to. That doesn't matter when I welcome another child and see the tiny glimmer of hope that's mingled with tears. Too many children to count. This Thanksgiving, may you rekindle your special gifts.

PLAYING IN HARMONY

Thanksgiving, a holiday that represents thanks and appreciation. Thanksgiving is all about spending time with family and friends. Gathering together and eating a well-cooked meal is so special for everyone. I am thankful for everything that I have: great family, awesome friends and a band that gets better every day.

HAPPY HOMECOMING

I am thankful there are only 20 more days until my husband, Philip, will be returning home to Lana'i on Dec. 14. So many people have touched our lives since his stroke on Oct. 23, and we do want everyone to know how very thankful we are. Special aloha and mahalo to my Island Air 'ohana, our friends, family and acquaintances who have offered prayers and support; we are very thankful for each and every one of you. May God bless you, and Happy Thanksgiving.

A TIME FOR APPRECIATION

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on that which we are thankful for and those whom we appreciate. This fact was sharply brought home to me 12 years ago, on the day after Thanksgiving, when my mother was killed in a car crash. I did have the chance to tell her I loved her, but I missed out on many opportunities to say other things I should have. Every Thanksgiving now I reflect on appreciation I should have shown to other people, on thankfulness for my family and friends, on expressions I should be making to those around me while I still have the chance.

A BOUNTY OF THOUGHTS

For me, Thanksgiving is a time to be with family. It's a time to temporarily forget about school and work and enjoy the company of my closest friends and family. As is implied with this holiday, it is also a time to reflect and be thankful. It's a time to be thankful for love, happiness, prosperity and life in general. It's a time to look back on all the joy life has presented us with and imagine all that life is yet to reveal to us.

KISS THE CHEF — MOM

I know it sounds like a cliche, but the one thing I'm thankful for is my mother's ability to cook. Without her culinary skills, Thanksgiving would be a crummy holiday. If not the food, what else is there to look forward to at Thanksgiving? Mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, buttered corn, cranberry sauce, stuffing and the star of the whole affair — the turkey. Needless to say, after dinner and dessert, Mom is the most appreciated person in the house, and she knows it.

SAFETY ON OUR MINDS

Thanksgiving, a day when loved ones gather around a table to appreciate the things we normally take for granted. I'm going to give special thanks this year for the safety of my family. In March, my father will be deployed to Iraq, and his safety will no longer be a given. On Thanksgiving, we all take a look at our lives and think of what things we should give thanks for. For most it's usually the things we take for granted the most; for me and my family, it is safety.

PRAYERS FOR HOMELESS

Many of us will offer prayers of thanksgiving for loving family, friends and a good life. Our prayers will also be for our troops, the many men and women who are in foreign lands trying to provide good lives for others; and for their families, who sacrifice much. My prayers are for our wonderful country, despite the many faults, in which we can live in freedom to pursue opportunities. My prayers will be especially mindful of the many homeless families who are forced to live "out there."

THANKS FOR GOOD YEARS

Two and a half years ago, we lost our beloved 19-year-old Daniel. He hiked in the Ko'olaus and tragically fell. He was found on a ledge at the Lulumahu Falls by an HFD Rescue team. We are thankful to the rescue trio and for the outpouring of support from the community and, or course, friends and family. This Thanksgiving, 2005, we have food, we have shelter, we have health (relatively good). Daniel, thanks for the 19 good years. We miss you.

THANKS FOR GIFT OF LIFE

There are so many people dying, some needlessly, many in their prime. I have lost a few relatives and friends this year. Today, my family and I will take a moment to thank God for the gift of life. To realize how precious and fragile this gift, entrusted to each one of us, is. To make a commitment to protect and preserve it at any given stage, nurture it and make it thrive. "To live each day," as the song goes, "like you were dying."

LIFE IN HAWAI'I IS GOOD

There was a time when my husband and I barely had two dimes to rub together. Today we both have good jobs, a mortgaged condo, pets, enough money to be able to give some to people less fortunate, friends to share a Thanksgiving meal with and more than enough creature comforts. We are both grateful to have 18 years of marriage and can call each other "best friend." We get to call Hawai'i home and get to see rainbows almost every day. We're just grateful to be alive in the most beautiful place on Earth.

AND ALSO PETE THE CAT

Human nature tends to take things for granted. I succumb to this tendency often, but I must remind myself how truly blessed I am. I am fortunate to live in such a wonderful place, where I do not have to worry about the quality of the air or water, or my own safety. I love my fantastic mother and father, who have nurtured me well, and I'm thankful for my friends, whom I can trust. Finally, I am thankful for my cat, Pete, who keeps my stress level down by motivating me even when I am nearly overcome with burden.

LOVABLE FAMILY CHAOS

Pumpkin pie spice permeates the kitchen air as the bustling of my mother, grandmother, sister and me play booty bumper cars. Competitive cheers from my father and uncles filter through the living room at the football game. Friendly jeers keep the game interesting even if it's a blowout. My son Peter is playing, often bouncing between his papa and cousin Jenny. His kolohe nature is as adorable as it is annoying. This year my infant daughter Hannah joins the lovable chaos. Enjoying my family all together.

A SAUCY RESPONSE

The table is lined with chairs of different shapes and sizes gathered from around the house, and each chair is filled with odd characters all sharing the same glowing faces in silent anticipation. It is my turn to say what I am thankful for, but the list goes on and on as I flip it back and forth in my mind: the beauty of language, the diversity of cultures, the laughter of children, nature's curiosities, the unbreakable bond between families, love, honor and the pursuit of happiness. But I just smile and say "Cranberry sauce" just to hear them laugh.

IT'S ALL IN THE FAMILY

Thanksgiving is one of the few occasions to see my entire family. My grandfather calls in the morning, waking us to discuss the Macy's Parade and make sure we're watching it on TV. I go to my uncle's house in the afternoon, eating grandma's famous hamburger stuffing sandwiches with the butter rolls — no turkey or any other food for me for the Thanksgiving meal. Thanksgiving means a time to celebrate, and afterward watch the leftovers mysteriously disappear along with my cousin's dog, later finding traces of plastic bag strewn about the backyard.

FRIENDS AND FAMILY

I am thankful to have my friends because they are always there for me. My parents are very loving, caring, funny and supportive of all I do. I am thankful for all that I have in life like nice shoes, clothes, backpack for school, school supplies in good condition, a nice room to stay in and all the little things and rewards I get from my parents for being well behaved. There are so many opportunities you have in life, and you should be thankful for all you have because not everyone in this world has them.

FOR THIS THY BOUNTY ...

Thanksgiving is a special day to give my gratitude to Our Divine Providence for bringing me home from the Korean and Vietnam wars. It is a day to be especially thankful that I can be with my family and friends. I am grateful that God has blessed me and my family with good health. Most importantly, we have enough food on the table for everyone in the family to enjoy.

THANKSGIVING

IN THE DAYS OF YORE, A BETTER LIFE

In the town of Lahaina on Maui in the 1940s and '50s, we never had a lot of things, but yes, we were thankful. For example, we never had an elected town leader.

But we had Clarence Agena, whom we called the "mayor of Lahaina," a master of public relations and a Cub Scout organizer.

We never had any murders, graffiti or grand larceny. We never had any traffic tickets or traffic jams, nor any parking tickets.

But we had three policemen, and we knew them as Taguchi, Figuerres and Kusuda. And we had a fire station. We had a two-lane road that connected one end of town with the other, and it was aptly named Front Street. We also had a courthouse whose primary function was to serve as a post office, not as a house of law. On Prison Street, there sat a real prison with coral walls, with no one in it.

We hardly had any local government or its institutions.

But we had the parochial presence of the plantation and its owners, who provided a community swimming pool above the Pioneer Mill office, a tennis court (Citizens Court), and even a hospital, a wooden bungalow with a semicircular driveway facing the ocean.

On the county level, we had a Board of Supervisors that we hardly saw.

We hardly had any smallpox, diptheria, typhoid, whooping cough or measles. Mainly because the hospital would inoculate us kids with everything they had, we were free of these disastrous childhood diseases.

We hardly had any homeless. Nor did we have any day care centers, preschool, elderly housing, senior care center, or any hospice.

Instead of a preschool, we had Baldwin House, a two-story frame building near the basketball court, where we would listen to nursery rhymes. The young were tended by our parents, and the old and unwell in our own homes. There was no such thing as "senior citizen discount."

We never had an auditorium for our elementary school. But what we had was the Pioneer Theatre, just one block from our elementary school, for our assemblies and special occasions. The theater had hard wooden seats facing an elevated podium and movie screen, and one red Coke machine.

What we had in the 1940s and '50s was a unique lifestyle, caught between the near end of the sugar and pineapple industries and the very beginning of the tourist economy. It was not too fancy, but some of the things we didn't have we still can do well without.

For this we are thankful.