Thanksgiving
by James Kilbourne
All good Americans are raised on the story of the Pilgrims landing on Plymouth Rock in 1620 and celebrating their survival on that cold November day in 1621, with thanks to the “friendly Indians” and “Divine Providence”. George Washington first declared it a holiday in 1789, but it wasn’t talked about nationally again until Abraham Lincoln brought it up in 1863. It officially was declared to fall on the fourth Thursday of November each year and to be a national holiday in 1941. I was in my early teens in the 1950’s when I was last asked to do the family prayer before Thanksgiving Dinner. I declared solemnly in my most ministerial tones that, “I would like to thank the farmers and the markets for this great food. Amen.” Well, at least dad liked it.
I love Thanksgiving. It is a quintessentially American holiday, where you take the time to think about how damned lucky you are to have been born in this country. Americans are always accused of being arrogant and of being convinced that we a ”chosen” people. I am sure that particularly the French think we sit around all Thanksgiving Day doing what they think Americans do every day: feeling superior and getting fat.
The fat part is kind of true. But most of us are really thinking about how wonderful life is if you are free and take responsibility for making it wonderful. Thanksgiving is the ultimate sense-of-life holiday. We live in a beneficent universe, surrounded by all we need to lead rich and rewarding lives. Once a year, we take a day to meet with our families and chosen friends and declare out loud our good fortune.
Americans aren’t superior people; we just have a superior system of government, thanks to the blind luck of having 56 of the most amazing men in history all getting together a few hundred years ago and writing a Constitution based on how men really are, not how they think they ought to be. For that blessing, you really need to celebrate 365 days a year. Some of us do.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all. Celebrate it in whatever land you happen to live. I hope you are able to share it with those you love, and that the coming year will be joyful and prosperous.
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