Four Centuries of Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving…. turkey, dressing, stuffing, mashed potatoes, veggies of all sorts, pies, nibble food leftovers…a tradition that has been going strong for over four centuries. Now that’s a lot of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, green beans, pumpkin pie, and Grandma’s really awful hamburger casserole.

That first Thanksgiving in 1621 was shared by colonists and the Wampanoag people as a gesture of friendship and goodwill. They understood the importance of extending a hand and the meaning of compromise. Getting along was of great importance. Perhaps we could learn something from those who’ve gone before us.

Does anyone really understand what Thanksgiving Day is all about? Did you know Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of every November in the United States, unlike Canada’s Thanksgiving, which is celebrated on the second Monday of October primarily due to declining weather conditions in November? Thanksgiving Day was declared a national holiday in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln.

As you might imagine, Thanksgiving is a simple concept – giving thanks for our blessings and what we have. When I was a little kid, Thanksgiving meant going to my aunt and uncle’s house in Wheaton, Maryland – or to my grandparents in Arlington, Virginia, across the Potomac from D.C. and Maryland.

It also meant being car sick, which didn’t leave much of an appetite for turkey.

To this day, I can still smell green beans and stuffing in modest Maryland and Virginia galley-style kitchens, waiting for dinner to be served in cramped dining rooms. With these memories are recollections of football games and holiday parades on a classic RCA console TV, with nice memories of hanging with the family and romping around a groovy basement with knotty pine paneling.

Like most of you, these are distant memories, with most of our ancestors gone now – yet the sweet memories remain. I remember my grandfather’s powerful hands and his gentle laugh whenever I had something stupid to say. My aunt and my grandmother knew how to rustle up a delicious feast where most of us wound up on the sofa in a carb coma until it was time for dessert. My aunt and my grandmother in the kitchen were forces to be reckoned with.

My son, Jacob, age 17, fosters a new tradition known as “Friendsgiving…” where close friends gather together to celebrate enduring friendship. Our home was full of young people coming of age, having a glorious time with each other. When it was over, they cleaned up the place, hugged each other, and headed home.

We old timers regard today’s young people as “snowflakes…” but nothing could be further from the truth. Young people aren’t afraid to show their feelings today. They express themselves quite well and are unified in a wonderful display of support for democracy and the American way of life. I watch them at high school events, showing abundant affection and love for each other. It is not perfect, but a work in progress and a good example for the rest of us.

I have tremendous faith in young people and their desire to keep Thanksgiving rolling in an alternative called “Friendsgiving” which runs deeper – with expressions of love for each other and limitless support in a perfect circle of life.