To my American readers, Happy Thanksgiving!
(To my Canadian readers, happy belated Thanksgiving. I celebrated with you last month when my very dear Vancouver-ite clients reminded me that y’all celebrate before we Yanks do.)
Some Thanksgiving quotes:
Daniel Webster, Second Speech on Foot’s Revolution, Jan 26, 1830:
I thank God, that if I am gifted with little of the spirit which is able to raise mortals to the skies, I have yet none - as I trust - of that other spirit which would draw angels down.
Frank Pittman, U.S. psychiatrist and family therapist. “How to Manage Mom and Dad,” Psychology Today (November/December 1994)
A family without a storyteller or two has no way to make sense out of their past and no way to get a sense of themselves.
Sydney Smith (1771-1845), Recipe for Salad, p. 383
Thank God for tea! What would the world do without tea?—how did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea.
Dorothy Parker
The best way to keep children home is to make the home atmosphere pleasant — and let the air out of the tires.
Heather Barr is a Realtor. She's a chow hound, a gym rat, and the only political junkie in the USA who can actually keep her political views to herself. Instead, she focuses on educating her clients about the often-confusing world of residential real estate.
by Chris Butterworth on November 26, 2008
in Op Ed
This has been a difficult year for many of us. What started out as a real estate bubble bursting 2 1/2 years ago has morphed into the worst recession we’ve had in a long time. Just about everyone I know has been affected by it. (except my friend Matt, who’s a pharmacist.) And if you watch the evening news every night, you’re probably feeling like the end of the world is not too far off…
This weekend is a time for reflection - a chance to think about the good things in life. I thought I’d put a quick list together for anyone out there struggling to come up with ideas.
Thanksgiving, 2008. You should be thankful that:
1. You’ve been able to keep your house, so far. (unless you haven’t…)
2. You haven’t needed to, or wanted to, move this year. (unless you have.)
3. You were able to sell your home at all, even for pennies on the dollar. (unless you weren’t.)
4. You still have your health. (unless…)
5. If you’re in the real estate industry (or mortgage industry, or auto industry, or sales in general), you were able to liquidate your savings this year before the stock market crashed.
6. You left the real estate or mortgage industry when you did. There’s a lot more competition today for those jobs which actually pay you money to do work.
7. You’ve amassed a small fortune in karma by advising clients to wait until the market stabilizes before trying to sell their 3-bedroom and buy a 4-bedroom. (unfortunately the mortgage company doesn’t accept karma.)
8. You’re not the CEO of GMC, Ford, or Chrysler.
9. If you’re not very good with numbers, these smaller prices are making the math so much easier.
10. Nobody else wants to exchange Christmas gifts this year either. After all, isn’t Christmas really just for the kids?
OK - that’s my (mostly) tongue-in-cheek list. What else can you add to it?
Your counting his blessings Realtor,
Chris Butterworth
Chris Butterworth is a Realtor. He's also a husband, father, writer, amateur photographer, and self-proclaimed tech junkie. And he's an all-around good guy!
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