I hope that your Thanksgiving - for those of you here in the States - was as wonderful as mine. The opportunity to spend time with family, unhurried and in a spirit of sharing, is one that’s rare enough in our rushed and pressured world, and the traditions built over the years are especially welcome when the world seems especially torn. When I was growing up, my parents instituted a Thanksgiving tradition that is so meaningful that I’ve continued it with my own family over the years. When we sit at the table, before we eat, we go around the table and each person seated must thank at least one other person at the table for something they’ve done.

We all are thankful for things like a roof over our heads and the sun rising in the morning - but how often do we stop to say a simple thank you to our wives for cooking a wonderful meal each night, or to dad for getting up and going to work each day? These simple, personal thank yous carry so much meaning. They give each of us a chance to reflect on how we all affect each others’ lives every single minute of every single day. Over the years, I have been thanked for cooking breakfast on Sunday mornings, for always remembering to turn off the bedroom light AFTER a child fell asleep and for staying up till 1 AM to help my brother with his science project - twenty years earlier.

One of the things for which I am most thankful in my life is my close association with Japanese Sensei Toru Takemitsu. It was an honor and a privilege to have been touched by his magical genius, and I was doubly blessed to have counted him as a personal friend and mentor. His inspiration guides me in my daily life and in my composition and playing. The CD Pathless Journey is my tribute and my thanks to him for his marvelous contributions to my life and my music.

This year, I hope that at least one person gives you a thank you for something you’ve done - not some big enormous thing, not something that cost you a lot of thought or money - but some simple, small thing you never thought twice in doing - the smile for the harried cashier at the grocers that brought a smile to her face, the moment you took to ask after a coworker’s child, the cup of coffee you filled just because it’s no more trouble to carry two cups than one. May your life be full of small things for which you are grateful, and may others appreciate you for all the small things that you do.

Love and Blessings,
Daniel