Many of my readers are either in different countries or are from different parts of the world. Explaining Thanksgiving is like explaining any celebration- it really means different things to different people, and is celebrated in different ways.
It all began in 1621 in Plymouth. After a brutal winter and hard working summer, the colonist and Wampanoag Indians (who showed the colonists how to plant and fish to survive) shared a Autumn harvest feast.
So often we think of Thanksgiving like a Norman Rockwell picture- three generations plus friends sitting down to a feast worthy of kings, all faces smiling, and the only stress was on the turkey right before he got axed.
Often this "picture" in our heads leads to a sense of loneliness, and sometimes the opposite of gratitude.
I will share this with you, dear readers. I have celebrated Thanksgiving alone, without much to eat. There was a time of plenty with family and extended family around me. I have spent this holiday at work- flying from one place to another, totally devoid of a holiday. And I have been a guest at many a table, friends who opened their hearts and homes to me. And on more than one occasion I was in a large group, some who were strangers, but sharing a meal none-the-less.
I would like to think that no matter what the circumstances, this holiday is an opportunity to count whatever good fortune we do have, not what we don't. It is SO easy to focus on our lack, when in fact we have so much! If we are mobile, can see, hear, speak, taste, and think- we are already wealthy!
I acknowledge that this may just be the ramblings of a "elderly" and somewhat verbose woman who happens to be very grateful for life and all it holds. So, if I've said too much, please forgive.
Tomorrow I will have the pleasure of being a guest! The host and hostess are my daughter-in-law's parents. I am grateful for their warm and loving hearts and for sharing- always- their holidays and company!
In whatever circumstance you find yourselves tomorrow, may you embrace life and all the good things it offers!
A Happy Thanksgiving to all.
It all began in 1621 in Plymouth. After a brutal winter and hard working summer, the colonist and Wampanoag Indians (who showed the colonists how to plant and fish to survive) shared a Autumn harvest feast.
So often we think of Thanksgiving like a Norman Rockwell picture- three generations plus friends sitting down to a feast worthy of kings, all faces smiling, and the only stress was on the turkey right before he got axed.
Often this "picture" in our heads leads to a sense of loneliness, and sometimes the opposite of gratitude.
I will share this with you, dear readers. I have celebrated Thanksgiving alone, without much to eat. There was a time of plenty with family and extended family around me. I have spent this holiday at work- flying from one place to another, totally devoid of a holiday. And I have been a guest at many a table, friends who opened their hearts and homes to me. And on more than one occasion I was in a large group, some who were strangers, but sharing a meal none-the-less.
I would like to think that no matter what the circumstances, this holiday is an opportunity to count whatever good fortune we do have, not what we don't. It is SO easy to focus on our lack, when in fact we have so much! If we are mobile, can see, hear, speak, taste, and think- we are already wealthy!
I acknowledge that this may just be the ramblings of a "elderly" and somewhat verbose woman who happens to be very grateful for life and all it holds. So, if I've said too much, please forgive.
Tomorrow I will have the pleasure of being a guest! The host and hostess are my daughter-in-law's parents. I am grateful for their warm and loving hearts and for sharing- always- their holidays and company!
In whatever circumstance you find yourselves tomorrow, may you embrace life and all the good things it offers!
A Happy Thanksgiving to all.
1 comment:
Marcy, You are one that knows the true meaning of thankfulness!! May you know that we thank God for you being in our lives whenever the opportunity arose. You are so very special! Our love and thoughts at this Thanksgiving! The Wyatt's
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