Thanksgiving

A time to reflect

Here we are at another Thanksgiving, or the time when, the crops being in we all get together, have a feast and say, “thank God we made it through another one.”

I think most places where food is not grown year round, such as in the temperate zones, have a similar thing. It's time to celebrate when the crops haven't failed and we now have a little time. Now that so few people are farmers the impetus is not quite the same, but it's a great tradition. Families get together and the normal cares of daily life recede to some extent, then a similar thing happens at Christmas.

Thanksgiving in the USA started with President Lincoln:

"I do, therefore, invite my fellow citizens . . . to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens." ~ Abraham Lincoln

Many families suffer from political difficulties and have trouble at theses times. (I am fortunate in this respect. My family members reaction to my essays can usually be summed up as “well, duh.”)

Some thoughts come to mind over this issue: Everyone are the good guys. Everyone are the bad guys. Don't hate as it will corrupt your soul. This might call for some explanation.

When your woke child comes home from college and lectures one and all with the drivel espoused by the sociology professor, remember that he thinks he is just being one of the good guys. He is probably too young to understand that you are the good guys, too.

"Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year. And then discover once a year is way too often." ~ Johnny Carson

When group A goes to war with Group B they think they are being the good guys, and when Group B responds in kind they think they are being the good guys. The Taliban saw themselves as the good guys and we saw ourselves as the good guys. My point is that the world is full of people who see themselves as the righteous group battling the bad guys.

On top of this there are the truly evil in the world, those with no compassion will gladly send whoever, believing they are the good guys, to death and destruction if it serves their purpose. Avoid them and do not support them.

"Dear Lord; we beg but one boon more: Peace in the hearts of all men living, peace in the whole world this Thanksgiving." ~ Joseph Auslander

Anyway, don't fall into the trap of having political arguments at Thanksgiving. It's not worth it.

It's time to look on the positive side of things, and to remember that we are not alone in life's struggles.

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." ~ John F. Kennedy

"We are profoundly grateful for the blessings bestowed upon us: the preservation of our freedom, so dearly bought and so highly prized; our opportunities for human welfare and happiness, so limitless in their scope; our material prosperity, so far surpassing that of earlier years; and our private spiritual blessings, so deeply cherished by all. For these we offer fervent thanks to God." ~ Harry S. Truman

Happy Thanksgiving

Stay brave, stay free