Thanksgiving

This year we will be spending Thanksgiving holiday with the Peacocks here in Utah, which is so exciting. I was thinking about the holiday itself, and decided to do a bit of research on it. Apparently, there is a lot of debate surrounding the holiday's origin in the U.S, but that Pilgrims and Indians did feast together as a religious and friendly gesture in many instances, to thank God for the plenty that they had--and these feasts lasted days--cool.

George Washington had the nation observe the holiday and said this lovely quote when he did it:

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor, and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me "to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness."

I  like that because there is nothing political about it. There is religiosity in the statement but it just makes me feel good about our country and its leaders and its people when I read that.


Abraham Lincoln declared it a national holiday in the middle of the Civil War. In the post-civil war era, Thanksgiving traditions started coming about, with different traditions in different areas. Boston, Massachussetts started a high school rivalry football game as a tradition, along with traditional Thanksgiving feasts--including Pidgeon pie (gross!). And in New York City, people would dress up in masks and costumes and walk the streets in "merry-making mobs". Years later these mobs had turned into ragamuffin parades which consisted mostly of kids dressed as ragamuffins--in costumes of old, mismatched adult clothes and smudged faces and by the late 1950s the tradition had gone away. I'd love to see one of those parades!

John F. Kennedy was the first President to let a turkey live during the tradition to kill one for feasting at the White House, and it has turned into turkey pardoning--where every year, the President of the US goes and pardons a turkey. Kind of cute. 

There are so many things to be grateful for but I will not end this post without stating my undying love and gratitude for delicious food--in particular, pumpkin pie. Or any pie. 

I really love our country. I love living in the U.S, I love being an American. With that said, I know enough about our history to know we haven't always and aren't always the good guys. But in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I also am so grateful for being a woman in this day and age, in this country. Life is not perfect and the world still needs so many changes but life is also so good, and the world is still a beautiful place full of adventure. On a smaller scale, there are many things for which I cannot convey the depth of my gratitude--such as my family, the gospel of Jesus Christ and the changes its wrought in me. I'm grateful for my wonderful, thoughtful friends and a caring community.  I'm grateful for science, for knowledge, for new discovery, for peace. I'm grateful for a working mind and body, and for a healthy family.

I do love Thanksgiving.