My Lettered Thanksgiving: A New Gift of “L” Added

At this stage of my being, I am thankful, grateful, and very appreciative of the gifts bestowed upon me by God Almighty.

I refer especially to the Gifts of Life, Liberty, Love, Luck, Logic, and Laughter. As we celebrate Thanksgiving this year, a new Gift of “L” is added. For the first time, I am a “Lolo” (grandfather) and hosting my Grandson LUCA.

SuperLUKA: Up, Up, and Away

LUCA is Italian Filipino American. He is the first and only son of my daughter Dr. Traci Maynigo and spouse Jason Myles Goss. My Grandson LUCA’s name is Italian for “Bringer of Light”. In a relatively dimming world where terrorism, war, criminality, and corruption seem to dominate the Headlines, LUCA’s arrival somehow gives a ray of hope as he “brings Light” and sparks a lot of Love benefiting his Lolo, Lola, and all that surround him.

In Life, I am afforded the opportunity to fulfill my obligations of the past, facing the enormous challenges of the present, and meeting the great responsibilities of the future.

In Liberty, I get to exercise freely and extensively inherent, and all legally bestowed, recognized human and civil rights. I am able to speak, write, read, smell, listen, touch, and use all my senses the way I see and feel fit.

In Love, I can express my innermost feelings up to the bottom of my heart as I appreciate what is beautiful in both the material and spiritual sense. Affection is shared not only with family, friends, followers, and fans but also with neighborhoods and communities. I feel I can move human hearts and human minds. I also feel loved and wanted.

In Luck, we experience the meeting of preparation and opportunity. It is when we feel that it is our destiny because we choose it and strive to achieve it.

In Logic, we behave and act with reason because we are rational beings.  We win life-long arguments because we approach them with clear and convincing logic and valid inferences as well as avoiding fallacies and falsehoods.

In Laughter, we show genuine joy and happiness. We share our wit and humor as we help others who feel ill or hurt with this proven and most effective medicine.

I am also thankful for receiving the Gifts of Learning, Language, Literature, Law, Logarithm, and Leadership.

In Learning, everyday that knowledge and/or skill are acquired, power is added exponentially in order to enjoy the other gifts we already possess.

In Language, we communicate and share our thoughts and knowledge to our loved ones and to those in need.

In Literature, we read, absorb, create, and share the experiences, the imagination, innovation, creation and stories of other learned authors.

In Law, we learn them because ignorance is no excuse. We have to know the rules that govern human behavior in a given civilized society. They are there to serve men, not the opposite.

In Logarithm, numbers always illustrate the facts, figures, and real stories with clarity, brevity, and unquestionable accuracy.

In Leadership, we plan, organize, manage and control. In most cases, we become friends, fans, and followers of others because we are their leaders. It is a gift!

There are Gifts that are material in nature but should not be disregarded nevertheless. We should manage and control them: the Gifts of Luxury, Land, Liquidity, and Lust.

In Luxury, we possess and enjoy things beyond our normal needs.

In Land, we occupy them in comfort, build homes on them, and own them as fixed assets.

In Liquidity, we maintain a flow of cash that responds to ordinary, necessary, and emergency expenses that we deal with during the occurrence of unexpected, unavoidable, and unforeseen circumstances. 

In Lust, we confront our human tendencies as we resist temptations to human desires and material instincts that have naturally befallen the whole of mankind.

Amidst the L gifts as described above, as important if not more, is celebrating Thanksgiving Day with the “F” Gifts: Family, Friends, Folks, Followers, Fans, and the whole Flock. In celebrating with those from a distance, there is always Face time and Facebook.


Thanksgiving FIESTA at CASA MAYNIGO!

We do it distinctively and uniquely Filipino – Food, Fun, Festivities and what we call FIESTA.