Thanksgiving Post

 

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Here in the U.S., Thanksgiving is upon us.

 

Thanksgiving has long been one of my favorite holidays, though as my sons and their families grow older and I must share them more often with other families — who all live a lot closer to them — Thanksgiving has lost a bit of its original appeal as a time to sit around the dining table without the normal squabbles of young, competitive boys growing up.  Seems like only yesterday . . .

 

Still, our heritage of gathering together in community, sharing our bounty with others, and giving thanks for what we have is one I like to commemorate.  Especially when it feels as though it’s slipping away.

 

I’ve been collecting posters shared on Facebook in preparation for this post.  There have been many, but here’s one of my favorites:

 

 

IMG_1637

 

Timely, to be sure.

 

Are we ready to laugh at ourselves yet?

Somedays I am. I’ve found that laughter is often the only way I have of coping with something too big for me to control. If I step back far enough, I can see the absurdity, and I can laugh. It helps keep my blood pressure down.

 

Here are two links for further Thanksgiving reading.

 

The first is the link to last year’s Thanksgiving post with the Thanksgiving scene from the memoir, At Home on the Kazakh Steppe (available at your local independent bookstore and Amazon).

 

This next one is an interview in the Indian Country Today Media Network, an online publication out of Oklahoma. This article, by Gale Courey Toensing, is entitled “The Wampanoag Side of the Tale.” I encourage you to choose this one.

 

first-thanksgiving

 

Enjoy your bounty, whatever it is.

I’ll be grateful my problems are merely First World problems.

 

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OK, enough small print. Let’s go make those pies.

 

8 Responses

  1. Merril Smith
    | Reply

    Happy Thanksgiving, Janet! I have always loved Thanksgiving, too. I will have both girls and their spouses here for dinner this year, so I’m excited. I will check out your links later.

    • Janet Givens
      | Reply

      Happy Thanksgiving to you as well, Merril. We’re expecting Woody’s nephew from Canada, his French wife (Paris-French, not Montreal-French) and their little one, six months old. This will be Sabrina’s first US Thanksgiving, so I’ve even polished the silver! Enjoy.

  2. Susan Joyce
    | Reply

    Happy Thanksgiving! This year we are sharing it with a friend I knew in Israel in 1969. What a delight to remember when together.

    • Janet Givens
      | Reply

      How nice you can share our holiday with another culture. That adds such an element of fun. Enjoy the prep together.

  3. Laurie Buchanan
    | Reply

    Janet — Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

    • Janet Givens
      | Reply

      Thank you Laurie. Same to you and yours. Did you know Boise is listed as the healthiest city on Idaho?

  4. Sharon Lippincott
    | Reply

    Love that cartoon. As if they had a choice. Choice — if you have it, use it or lose it.

    We look forward to feasting with our daughter’s extended family, actual and acquired. Having more or less survived our current move, we have even more to be thankful for this year

    • Janet Givens
      | Reply

      Yes indeed. I imagine it feels really good to be on the far side of that move. With so much new to explore ahead of you. Happy T-day

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