No doubt, as American families gather around the holiday table this month there'll be the polite, customary banter about turkey and the trimmings and expressions of thankfulness, be they sincere or superficial. It's likely this year's conversations will also include references to terrorism, even though the subject has been the dominant conversational topic for weeks. Turkey and terrorism! What a combination!

As I reflected on this, knowing my family has already made plans to enjoy the traditional meal together, I began to imagine how the conversation might proceed and what each person might say.

My wife Mary, a retired nurse, is likely to be thankful none of our family members have been physically hurt by terrorism, even though our son David, a Morgan Stanley staff member, participated in a staff seminar at the World Trade Center just days before disaster struck.

David will probably express gratitude that of the hundreds of Morgan Stanley employees who were in the south tower September 11, ...