On Thanksgiving
Monday is gray outside with cloud cover. The light is muted, the leaves of Fall are almost all descended from branches. This is the week of Thanksgiving. Proclaimed as a national holiday by President Lincoln on October 3, 1863 in a context of the Civil War, the day was a bid for unity, and for divine favor. Even if contemporary Americans are unified in connection to their iphone screens, or do not seek divine assistance – the holiday endures.
Our ancestors who formed Plymouth colony, were the 53 survivors of the Mayflower voyage. Following the first harvest, a meal was enjoyed together with indigenous residents of Massachusetts. When they resided in England the Calvinist minded immigrant new comers were accustomed to an English Protestant Thanksgiving. This was a austere day of prayer and fasting.
I am glad that due to aid from the local inhabitants the Englishmen survived, that food and genuine merriment began to supersede the old habit of self denial and prayer.
Bring on the roast turkey, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie!
Let us be human.
