A Thankful Thanksgiving
Universally, the meaning of Thanksgiving Day is self-evident: an annual opportunity to gather with family and friends to give thanks. However, the breadth of thankfulness associated with this holiday is as vast as the number of people celebrating it.
As children, we learned the historical significance of the pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock in 1620, and this became the benchmark for many as the basis for the "first" Thanksgiving. Actually, celebrating a bountiful harvest has permeated many cultures for centuries. Native Americans and Europeans alike commemorated abundant harvests through organized festivals and ceremonial dances. With our busy modern lives today, few of us stop to appreciate the magnitude of the difficult journey undertaken by such valiant pioneers. The quest for a better life has inspired voyages throughout the ages, but the complexity associated with the successful conclusion of such expeditions is truly remarkable.
Quests for a better life continue today. So it was for my family in 1992. Unemployed for months and with no prospects, an invitation from friends inspired the trip to Shingle Springs, California, a small community in the foothills of the Northern California Sierras. As the pilgrims stocked their ships, so our camper was stocked with the necessities of nurturing children through an 8-hour road trip. Unlike the solitary Mayflower crossing the Atlantic, we ventured onto the highways with a profusion of other courageous travelers. The pilgrims, although euphoric at reaching their far-off destination, were greeted by no one. In contrast, we were welcomed into a home warmed by a crackling fire and old friendships.
The trip home that holiday found the children sleeping and us reminiscing what we had just experienced. The crisp, clean air, the multi-colored trees adorning the green velvety hills against that blue November sky stirred something in us as we drove back through the night. There was a tiny flicker of promise. By the end of that 8-hour drive, we had made the decision to accept our friend's invitation to join them in Northern California. Soon after making the move, employment was regained, a house of our own had been purchased, and the children were ecstatic about the first of, eventually, several horses grazing in our very own pastures. Nestling in the heart of the Gold Country rewarded us in numerous ways, enjoying the richness of history in the area, as well as carving out our own new existence within it. We planted orchards and gardens, celebrating our own Thanksgiving the following year, heartily giving thanks for our bounty. . .which, for us, was a better way of life!
