ALT-1 Thanksgiving Fantasies Versus Realities
Thanksgiving or The Bountiful Harvest.Do you celebrate Thanksgiving as an annual holiday or a daily experience? Does it seem as if this annual holiday has gotten lost somewhere between the costumed ghost and goblins of Halloween and the commercialism of Christmas? Personally, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. There's no pressure to decorate or find the "perfect" gift, just fix a great meal and add family and friends; instant enjoyment. I had a friend one time that to me epitomized the meaning of Thanksgiving on a daily basis. His philosophy for life in general was, "It must be a great day today, as I woke up breathing". That's all it takes, just giving thanks every day.A little history lesson on the importance of this holiday to our country. One hundred and two people left England, and for over two months crossed a storm-tossed sea to arrive in Massachusetts late in the month of November, 1620. They finally disembarked at Plymouth Rock on December 11. Nearly half of these brave passengers died from starvation and sickness before the next spring in the unforgiving New England winter. The survivors persistently praying and aided by helpful Indians reaped a bountiful harvest that following summer. The grateful Pilgrims, wanting to celebrate and thank their Indian friends and God held America's first Thanksgiving Festival. The celebration was a three-day feast starting December 13, 1621. (This was not the first Thanksgiving in America, those services were held in Virginia as early as 1607).In 1789, President George Washington issued a proclamation in which America celebrated its first day of Thanksgiving to God under its new constitution.In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln set aside the last Thursday of November as a National Day of Thanksgiving.Then in 1941, Congress permanently established the fourth Thursday of each November as a national holiday.So as we Americans celebrate this year with too much turkey, pie and football, lets try to remember all that we have to be thankful for every day and not forget God, our country's founding fathers and the bravery of the Pilgrims that faced such hardships through their devout religion and gave us our first self-government so we can remain free in faith and government.Just remember, it must be a great day for giving thanks, you did wake up breathing.
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