As for me, I am one of the lucky ones who will be with loved ones on Thanksgiving day if all goes as planned. I will not be in Iraq or Afghanistan, nor will I be at work, nor will I be hospitalized, nor will I be in jail, nor will I be anything but alive and well and enjoying the day. Yes that makes me one of the lucky ones, and I will have a lot for which to give thanks. Of course, being agnostic at best, I am not quite sure whom I need to thank, but even an atheist can give thanks on Thanksgiving. Thanks can be given to those who protect us from harm, especially those now in harm's way. Thanks can be given to mother nature for the bounty she bestows upon us even though we treat her pretty roughly at times. Thanks can be given to the farmer and rancher who supply most of the food we eat. Thanks can be given to our moms and dads for having brought us into this world and for having done their best to bring us up. Thanks can be given to our spouse or other loved ones just for loving us, or in my case just for putting up with me. Thanks can be given to our kids, just for growing up as other than psycho killers, and maybe even for still loving us a bit. Thanks can be given to the policemen and firemen, and ambulance drivers who will save lives tomorrow while the rest of us pig out on dinner with friends and family, all the while as they work on Thanksgiving. Thanks can be given to our priests, preachers, pastors, ministers, rabbis, mullahs, imams, social leaders, civic leaders, politicians, lawmakers and so forth for trying to teach us a moral way of life. Thanks can be given to one another for being good United States Citizens and legal resident and non-resident aliens. Thanks can be given to the Native Americans and to the Pilgrims for starting this wonderful tradition called Thanksgiving. Of course, if you believe in God, as it seems do most folks, then thanks can also be given to God for those things for which we are thankful.
Thanks can also be given to the Turkeys, though they may not understand all that well, since we are about to eat them.
No matter who you are, no mater your religious or nonreligious background, no matter your politics, your culture, your ethnicity, your race, your national heritage, your age, your sex, or whatever - you can enjoy Thanksgiving, and you can celebrate it by giving thanks. It is not a Christian holiday, and this is something people tend to forget. It was a coming together of two different cultures (with vastly different religions) to give thanks for nature's bounty, for survival against the odds, for peace, for good things. It has become a celebration for all of us who are living in the USA. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.
All the best,
Glenn B
PS: now back to what I was about to say about how I would spend my day. I'll be at home in the Am. maybe I'll bake an apple pie for the wife if I have the get up and go when I get up in the morning. Then I'll clean my hunting gear in anticipation of my hunt this Friday and Saturday with my son Brendan. It will be his first deer hunt. Then I'll drive the family to my mother-in-law's home for Thanksgiving dinner. Then I am hopeful someone else will rive home, hoping that is I was allowed to have a beer or two. Then some more getting ready for the hunting trip and early to bed with a planned 0200 wake up on Friday morning. Sounds like a good day to me if all goes as planned. I hope all goes well for you too.
No comments:
Post a Comment