What a pleasant surprise to visit Orson Scott Card's web site this week and discover four new articles to read, two of which are truly excellent and relevant to Thanksgiving and gratitude, "A Thank-You Letter in This Time of War" and "How I'll Celebrate Thanksgiving".

Thank you, Horsey. I appreciate your sharing your talents and thoughts with the rest of the world. Your Thanksgiving articles were particularly moving, and my own sentiments parallel your own. I too am grateful for the many service men and women who have and are serving this country.

Whenever I think of the sacrifices made in defence of freedom, I think of my own grandfather, who was severely injured on his birthday in World War II while in Germany. I'm so grateful for his sacrifice, and his subsequent years spent in hospitals healing, and the sacrifice of his wife, who worked so hard raising their small children. And when I think of all they did for me, I remember that I need to be a better person and be willing to serve and help others if I truly want to honor them.

One of my recent favorite locally-produced documentaries about World War II experiences is titled Wing and a Prayer: The Saga of Utah Man, the miraculous story of Colonel Walter Stewart and his fellow crewmen and their perilous mission flying a B-24 bomber deep into enemy territory on a bombing mission intended to take out oil refineries in Ploesti, Romania on August 1, 1943. So much courage, so much sacrifice, by so many so young. I find such stories deeply moving, and my heart wells up with gratitude.

I hope and pray that the sacrifices being made today by U.S. and Iraqi soldiers and policemen trying to secure Iraq from the thugs and terrorists who are opposing democratic elections, terrorizing the people, and doing all they can to destroy the rule of law by the people for the people will bear fruit. I owe an inestimable debt to the men and women working so hard to make Iraq a better place, a place where the Iraqi people can choose their own government, a place where their children will no longer be afraid to speak out for fear of retribution against themselves or their families. I hope and pray this mission can come about quickly, so that American soldiers can come home.

So much did I like Mr. Card's words, that I read those two articles as part of the message at Family Home Evening on Monday night. Scott, visiting from Missouri, joined Jason and I, making it a threesome. After discussing the marvelous blessings of gratitude, and after each of us shared some specific things we were grateful for about one another, we closed by singing some Thanksgiving hymns out of the LDS Hymnal.

(Can I say as an aside, after the above link to Deseret Book's web site that their web site really, really stinks? It's hard to navigate, short on in-depth product details, and is just plain ugly. They really should do some serious web surfing over at Amazon.com and borrow some ideas—except for ideas like one-click, which Amazon.com has patented.)

My friend Scott and I had a fun evening tonight. We went to The Incredibles (It was my third time, and I must say I appreciate the story even more the more I see it. It's a superb movie!), then to Cafe Rio for dinner—I had salmon tacos, and Scott went for pork tacos, minus the rice and beans. (He's crazy, I tell ya, for turning down Cafe Rio's excellent beans and rice!)

It's funny. Whenever I go to Cafe Rio, I always run into someone I know. Today it was Richard Prince and his son, Darren. I haven't seen them for a long time. It was fun to chat briefly. I've got to remember to tell my brother, Andy, that Darren says hello. Oh, I also ran into a former member of the Riverbend Ward who moved out across town.

Even Scott saw some people he knows, the Gardners, who he knew in Orem, Utah, and who still live there—they were just stopping in St. George on their way to Las Vegas to visit their daughters for Thanksgiving. Scott went to high school with one of their daughters in Orem years ago. How's that for a meet-up, Scott who lives in Joplin, Missouri in St. George for Thanksgiving meeting someone else who's just passing through St. George.

Well, it's 10:00 PM now. I need to put a pair of pumpkin pies in the oven for tomorrow, then set my alarm for 4:00 AM so I can put the huge 30-pound turkey in the oven I bought for tomorrow's feast.