May we truly be fully grateful for the lives of privilege and opportunity we are blessed to live. May we give back in proportion to what we have received:

“I have been employed in the Lufa garment factory for two years. This is my first job ever. From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., six days a week, I produce jackets and pants. The volume is so high—50 to 60 pieces per hour—that it is not possible to keep a smiley face. My monthly pay is 2,500 taka [about 34 U.S. dollars]. I hardly save any money. In the last year I got myself three dresses. Each one cost 1,000 taka. Those were my only treats. I can’t see myself not working. If I have a good husband, then I will not need to work, but if I have a bad husband, then I will need to. I wish to get a good job, where I can sit and comfortably work. Then I would smile.” — Garment Worker, Dhaka, Bangladesh (The New York Times Sunday Magazine, July 17, 2011)

Closing quotes:

“I cried because I had no shoes, then I met a man who had no feet.” — Ancient Persian saying

“If you don’t get everything you want, think of the things you don’t get that you don’t want.” — Oscar Wilde

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” — John F. Kennedy