Thanksgiving approaches. We have had an official national day of thanksgiving ever since Abraham Lincoln’s administration. Of course, long before that the early settlers, some of whom had endured very close, even life-threatening, calls, found real and poignant reasons to give thanks to the God who was the impetus for their settling on a new continent in the first place.
Haven’t times changed? Today the holiday is often associated with football games and traditional rivalries. Come to think of it, however, I believe games played a big part in that early, but unofficial, celebration, when the Indians visited the pilgrims and brought food. We might think, for instance, that instead of the egg bowl, there was an Indian corn bowl. Sort of an early American tailgate. I have known people to take their whole Thanksgiving dinner to a campus for a tailgate.
Maybe we think of Thanksgiving more as Glutton Day. We feast till we sleep. We build up traditions that we return to every autumn — turkey, our own special family dressing, golden-orange sweet potatoes, so-and-so’s pecan pie, Aunt Ruth’s Thanksgiving cake.
When I was growing up, Thanksgiving dinner was at noon. Other people might have their feast mid-afternoon, but not my family. When I was a student at MSCW, there was always a special noon chapel service on Thanksgiving Day, so our holiday did not begin until 1 p.m. Did my family postpone dinner long enough for me to walk the seven blocks home afterward? No way! Nearly everyone I knew had at least one pecan tree. After the feast we picked up pecans. It proved to be a practical way to harvest our pecans and provide some much needed exercise after a heavy meal. Of course, that was when we children were very young, before football had taken over.
Nowadays we sometimes have our family feast at night. It really does make for a more festive, dressy party complete with candlelight. It just depends on who is hosting.
It seems to me that just being able to celebrate at all is cause for thanksgiving. I think people really do try to find a way to include others who might not fare as well, but it is a sad truth that many less fortunate people can slip through the cracks. It is nevertheless an earnest hope that, even though the economy is rocky and times hard for some, people can still find a way to celebrate the bounty of this great land. We really are incredibly lucky.
One of the season’s simple pleasures that I enjoy the most is driving through the countryside to whatever location we shall gather. I love the beautiful fall days. Even if color has left the trees, the sunlight sifting through brown, sere leaves is beautiful. The days have become shorter, and we drive or walk through the shadows as the sinking sun splashes the tops of trees with golden light. The scene makes at least a sunny farewell to that particular day. Maybe the next day will be crisp and cool with a sky that is the vivid shade of blue no other season provides. If it is not, if the weather is gray and blustery, we still can look forward to whatever cozy gathering place we shall celebrate Thanksgiving, because, thank God, we really can be grateful for so much.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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