A Day to Give Thanks
It's sad that Thanksgiving Day is getting crowded out as Christmas decorations go up earlier and earlier every year. When I was a child, Thanksgiving was the beginning of the winter holiday season, and only on the Friday or Saturday after Thanksgiving did Santa Claus come to the mall to hear little children's Christmas wishes. As a result, Thanksgiving was still focused on thankfulness, not "just another milestone to Christmas," which even Halloween is becoming these days.
And we have plenty of things to be thankful for, from the big things of society to the very personal. Gratitude for the standard of living that the Industrial Revolution and its follow-ons have made possible. Gratitude that the recent election was un-marred by riots, during or afterward, and that many states have taken concrete steps to correct the problems that left the 2020 election results marked with an asterisk in the minds of many Americans. Gratitude that the pro-Hamas Gaza protesters were not allowed to disrupt the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, but were dealt with swiftly and surely.
I'm grateful that the weather remained warmer than forecast as we drove westward to Central Illinois, and we needed only deal with some rain, not wintry mix. I'm also grateful that driving the van meant that I was able to help my brothers move some building materials for my middle brother's work to repair his house and prepare it for sale. And I'm glad we were able to gather around the table as a family for Thanksgiving dinner and have pleasant conversations unmarred by unpleasant discussions about politics and the like.
And we have plenty of things to be thankful for, from the big things of society to the very personal. Gratitude for the standard of living that the Industrial Revolution and its follow-ons have made possible. Gratitude that the recent election was un-marred by riots, during or afterward, and that many states have taken concrete steps to correct the problems that left the 2020 election results marked with an asterisk in the minds of many Americans. Gratitude that the pro-Hamas Gaza protesters were not allowed to disrupt the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, but were dealt with swiftly and surely.
I'm grateful that the weather remained warmer than forecast as we drove westward to Central Illinois, and we needed only deal with some rain, not wintry mix. I'm also grateful that driving the van meant that I was able to help my brothers move some building materials for my middle brother's work to repair his house and prepare it for sale. And I'm glad we were able to gather around the table as a family for Thanksgiving dinner and have pleasant conversations unmarred by unpleasant discussions about politics and the like.