Thanksgiving Message

Dallas Texas, U.S.A November 26, 2010. This year’s Thanksgiving Day, unlike many others in the past, comes with lots of headaches and uneasiness as the unemployment rate across the globe is at an all time high. Many more families are struggling with financial hardships, alarms of impending terrorist attacks sounding louder than ever. Yet, I still thank God.  Therefore, I would like to ask every one of you, Sierra Leoneans and the Americans to say thanks to God, the oneness for everything that happened to us during the year and pay gratitude to God.  (Photo:  Sanpha Sesay – honest husband)

I hate to politicize my writings when it comes to a moral issue such as this, but I feel strongly the urge to say this: Past Presidents and administrations in Sierra Leone have failed us in so many ways. They led our nation into becoming one of the poorest nations in the world.  But, at this point in time, it seems as if a redeemer has come to relieve us from the darkest periods in Sierra Leone’s history. Let us use this day to thank God and pray for the honest and most patriotic President God has given to continue the good work he started in 2007.

Of course, if you are a true Sierra Leonean living in the United States, Thanksgiving Day is a good day to offer prayers for our ancestors, leaders, the government and the people of Sierra Leone.  Not to forget that we should consider this day as a day of giving praise and remembrance, particularly for those who lost their lives in the senseless civil war in Sierra Leone.  It could have been a good thing to slate a national Thanksgiving Day for Sierra Leone but as we decide on that course, Sierra Leoneans living in the United States, can use the U.S. Thanksgiving Day that we are all celebrating to share that blessing in our country.

I would also want to consider this day as a day of forgiveness.  Sometimes, we make unintentional mistakes, but let us believe that mistakes are part of our DNA as humans. It is said, “To err is human and to forgive is divine.” Let every faith use this day to pray for our country, the United States or the world, and to forgive those who have done them wrong-intentionally or otherwise. There is no better way described as in the Holy Quran which stated clearly that, “As human beings we are responsible, but we do also make mistakes and we are constantly in need of forgiveness.” I have friends that have hurt me deeply in my life, but on a day such as this, I will forgive them.

As a matter of fact, we all acknowledge that the significance of Thanksgiving Day stems from the need to display gratitude to God through prayers, gift giving, and some use it for family reunion. Therefore as we pay gratitude to God, let us remember to show appreciations to those people that have contributed towards progress in our lives. I will use this day, November 25, 2010, to recognize certain people who have showered me with moral and financial support while living in the United States.

Before extending my thanks and appreciation to others, I must thank God first for giving me the best wife, Adama Sesay in the world. She is very loyal, humble, honored and dutiful. Passionate and lovely is an understatement to describe her. She is very cooperative and drama-free. She is emotionally charged, independent and considerate.  When I think about my progress in life, I look back and start from the enormous blessing that God has given me, my wife – Adama.

Also, I would like to recognize a guardian, friend, a mother, and a sister, Nanette Thomas who is believed to be my wife’s mother in the United States.  Nanette took the role of my mother-in-law when my wife was in a life-support machine to have the last baby.  She assisted my wife beyond measures when she was in her sick bed. Her service during that time was a remarkable one to my family – a service for which I will forever be grateful. Thank you Nanette Thomas. You are one of a kind.

I will also want to thank three of my friends; Daniel Kanu, the man who gifted me with a car in order to start my life in the United States. Every reasonable person would know what this gesture means in this country. Apart from that, Daniel Kanu also played an important role in my asylum pursuit. He will wake up whenever he hears my call and horribly come to my aid. Mr. D.S.Lungay and Barbar Fortune, you guys were awesome during my struggles to search for a greener pasture; these two guys inspire me greatly. How dare me to forget you guys.

As I recount your love towards me, I know, I have done no wrong for in the words of Beranger, “He who remembers the benefits of his parents is too much occupied with his recollections to remember their faults.” Therefore, I urge you all to take a break, count your blessings and name them one by one.

By Sanpha Sesay, Texas based Sierra Leone online correspondent

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