Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love everything about it; the food, the spirit of appreciation for our bounty and the coming together of family. The celebration of the harvest is universal and every culture seems to have a ceremonial experience built around it.
I also love that it is the one holiday in our culture that is inclusive of everyone and is about being human, not about religious affiliation or patriotic awareness and memory or about commercialism.
The first Thanksgiving for the early settlers must have been extraordinary if not exhausting both physically and emotionally. They had been welcomed by the indigenous tribes and had been taught by them what to grow, how to grow it and how to harvest it. They were shown good cheer by the generous tribes of the northeast and we should all be remembering them as we celebrate in our contemporary manner.
Native Americans have played an enormous role in our lives, and they made it possible for those settlers to last through very difficult times. They shared their knowledge and their land. They were wise and innocent to the future that lay in store for them.
It’s what I generally think about as winter begins. Maybe it’s because I was an avid student of history, or maybe it’s because all around us are Native American memories and names. I’m always aware of their role in this nation.
As a second generation American, whose ancestors came from various parts of Europe, we were “greenhorns” to the American experience, although we caught on quickly; quickly enough to experience a few world wars, the Great Depression, and to lose a loved one in Vietnam.
My grandmother was in charge of food in our house as I was growing up and having survived starvation in Europe and the Depression here, a full larder and food on the table was a sign of security to her and to our family. I have largely stayed the same and have enough food backed up in my house as “possibility” to put together a good small banquet at the drop of a hat.
There have been times I had an invite to a Thanksgiving dinner and times I didn’t. Someone long ago suggested I volunteer to feed others less fortunate or ill on Thanksgiving, and I did and it was great. It felt wonderful to be a giver and to help make someone else’s holiday possible.
Whatever your family does on this holiday, let’s remember how lucky we all are to have children as we celebrate these special days. All holidays are enhanced by the presence of our children and they take on new meaning with each passing year.
We extend our best wishes to you and yours for a very Happy Thanksgiving.
