A local restaurateur and his sister lived in the United States when they were growing up. At the request of a customer from the United States who felt lonely at the time of thanksgiving, the restaurateur held a dinner here in Johannesburg for the customer and has held the dinner ever since.
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. The “First Thanksgiving” was celebrated by the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the New World in 1621.
The Thanksgiving meal that we ate at Hodges Restaurant in Craighall included corn dogs, turkey with stuffing and cranberry sauce, sweetcorn, roast potatoes, green beans with almonds and pumpkin pie.
You can’t help thinking about everything you are thankful for with such a bountiful dinner. Your family and friends. Your health, ability to walk, talk, see, touch, smell and taste. And the opportunity that life and people give for you to develop your skills, grow your gifts and use them positively and constructively in your community, in business and in society.
That brings me to Idea Accelerator. This online tool has given me and many others the opportunity to learn from each other. Idea accelerator’s vision and mission is to help other people come up with ideas and realise them so that they may fulfill important goals in their lives.
Over the past two years I have been able to slowly grow Idea Accelerator into the vision that I have for sharing practical experience about turning ideas into viable products and services, new small businesses and sideline income opportunities.
I am most grateful for those who have given freely of their time and practical experience to make Idea Accelerator possible. From all sorts of creative business people who are finding new ways to help other people through their start-ups and small businesses.
It’s this passion and creativity that drives people and business. At the bottom of businesses that last is the commitment to help people improve their lives. Whether it’s to learn a new skill, fix a broken relationship, save a life or show someone how to make money for themselves and their loved ones.
Yes, it’s good to give thanks. To see how far we’ve come. To appreciate how others have helped us. But, more importantly, what we are giving to others.
