Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Enjoy Good Fortune And Good Health This Thanksgiving

Eye popping pumpkin pie.

My father’s side of the family traces its roots back to the McGilvrays in Scotland. Ever since I can remember, we’ve launched our Thanksgiving meal with these simple words of gratitude from Scottish poet, Robert Burns:

Some hae meat and canna eat,
  And some wad eat that want it;
But we hae meat, and we can eat,
  Sae let the Lord be thankit.
~ The Selkirk Grace by Robert Burns

What does it mean? Here are some clues: “hae” means “have”, “wad” means “would”, and “want” refers to lacking something.

So, the crude modernized translation we convey to our younger family members is:

Some have food but they can’t eat (perhaps they’re sick),
  And some would like to eat but they lack food (perhaps they’re poor);
But we have food, and we can eat,
  So let’s be thankful for our good fortune and good health.
(Dig in!)
~ “Bobby” Burns

May your family also be blessed with good fortune and good health.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Dwight branch of the McGilvrays!


Blog Announcement: A New Frequency For Family Finance Favs

As of today, I have published 322 consecutive daily posts on Family Finance Favs since my first article on January 7. It’s been challenging and rewarding.

Originally, my goal was to hit 365 straight posts before reassessing how often I publish. For a few reasons, I’ve decided to make an adjustment now rather than later.

  • First, I received two unsubscribes recently that cited too many emails. I want to help busy parents, not overwhelm them.
  • Secondly, tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I’d like to dial things back a bit for the holidays, so I can focus on my family without feeling the constant pressure of a daily writing deadline.
  • Third, I’d like to get back to writing more software on our family finance site. It’s a core passion of mine that has been sidelined of late. Besides, our ever growing population of families and backlog of enhancements demand more attention.

So, starting with today’s post, I’m switching over to a weekly cadence. After the holidays, I might adjust to a frequency somewhere in between. Let me know what you think.


Want to turn these tips into action? Check out FamZoo.com.

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