Keeping the Meaning of Thanksgiving Alive
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/274175.aspx
CBNNews.com - Millions of Americans are celebrating Thanksgiving today, a holiday tradition that dates back hundreds of years. But some say there’s an attempt to remove the religious significance from this great American holiday.
President Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving official in 1863. He proclaimed the last Thursday in November to be “a national day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent father who dwelleth in the heavens.”
But for most of us - when we think of that first Thanksgiving - we think about the Pilgrims and the Indians.
The Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock on December 11, 1620. Their first winter was devastating. Weak and sick - they began to die. The Pilgrims needed help to survive and they got it from an English-speaking Indian named Squanto.
Historian Peter Marshall explained, “Here comes this American Indian suddenly who speaks perfect English, who offers them his services. So they plant all this corn under his tutelage. In October the corn is ripe finally, and they want to have a celebration, a Thanksgiving celebration.”
Marshall continued, “So they invite Chief Massasoit, who had taken Squanto in when he had no family, no relatives. So Massasoit and 90 braves show up for this celebration festival, and they had a three day celebration of feasting, bow-and-arrow shooting contests, foot races and relay races and games.”
Although some would say it was just a day of celebration - historical records show it was a time to give thanks to God.
“They looked at everything as a gift from God, even the sorrowful things they saw as God allowing that to perfect their character. So they were amazing Christians and great examples for us today,” Rev. Paul Jehle said.
What It’s All About
For a lot of people, Thanksgiving has become a day to watch football, eat turkey, and watch the Macy’s Day Parade. While these are not bad things, some believe the most important part of Thanksgiving - giving thanks to God for our many blessings - is being down-played or left out altogether.
That’s why private Christian schools like Stonebridge Christian School in Virginia make a point of teaching children the real Thanksgiving story - including the religious aspects.
“God was very much a part of that first Thanksgiving and we teach that,” said Stonebridge history teacher Ed Sotto.”Parent Steve Elliott says he’s glad his four daughters are learning the whole story.
And the students, who recently re-enacted the story of the Pilgrims at Jamestown, agree that the Thanksgiving story they’re learning now is not the one they were taught in public school.
“In public school, we colored turkeys and it was all about the turkeys - like they were an idol,” ninth-grader Anastasia Peele said.Colson Vorwald, also in the 9th grade, said, “We were taught that the Pilgrims were thanking the Indians - not God - for the blessings.”
What’s sad is that here in the U.S. the day after Thanksgiving is often more celebrated than Thanksgiving itself. But many people like the teachers and students at Stonebridge are doing what they can to keep the true meaning of Thanksgiving alive.
November 27th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Happy Thanksgiving to you John, and everyone! Between stuffing the turkey, snapping green beans, and baking squash this morning, I enjoyed reading your post.
Just as God was very much a part of our nation’s first Thanksgiving, He is very much a part of our feast today. We must acknowledge and continue to teach the historical and present-day truth of God’s existence and of his many blessings upon ‘the land of the free.’ As benefactors of innumerable sacrifices from so many throughout our country’s history, we Americans are blessed to live in the greatest nation on earth.
BE THANKFUL
Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don’t know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes.
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary,
because it means you’ve made a difference.
It’s easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who
are also thankful for the setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings.
~ Author Unknown
ALL IN A WORD ~ by Aileen Fisher
T…..for time to be together, turkey, talk, and tangy weather.
H…..for harvest stored away, home, and hearth, and holiday.
A…..for autumn’s frosty art, and abundance in the heart.
N…..for neighbors, and November, nice things, new things to remember.
K…..for kitchen, kettles’ croon, kith and kin expected soon.
S…..for sizzles, sights, and sounds, and something special that abounds.
That spells THANKS—for joy in living and a jolly good Thanksgiving.
As we offer Thanksgiving prayers today, let’s not forget to ask for blessings on all those serving our country in the armed forces, and for especially those who are far from home.
May God bless America!
November 27th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
2thpt. Thank you for taking time from your busy day to share these lovely thoughts.
November 27th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Romney 2012!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY-maJ0IyuA
November 27th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Thanks SED
One man can answer the call. Mitt Romney 2012.
November 28th, 2008 at 6:12 am
Sed, who put that video together???? Nice job. Mitt 2012, he is the Man to bring back our true American principals. We must make our case, carefully, mindfully, and with class as we represent OUR MAN MITT!!!!!
November 28th, 2008 at 10:18 am
Hope everyone had a delicious, lip-smacking Thanksgiving yesterday and is feeling fat and sassy this morning!
Looks like some of us here are braving the ‘Black Friday’ crowds today to snag a few Christmas deals. Hope you get the treasures you’re after! I share the same sentiments as the guy on this video (with a hat-tip to stalwart MAINEites – Paulee included!) This is the perfect kick-off for the holiday season! On to Christmas and 2012!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhqmY_CEF_4&feature=related
November 28th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Leave it to you to catch that video, but he said exactly what the buzz was here. I tell you, I still thought Mitt had it in the can, people here were so impressed with him. We were delighted to have a person of his ability running for President. I thought we had this election pegged, how wrong were we??? I think and will continue to think with this mess this country is in, we surely needed Mitt… I personally don’t care what anyone else says, they are blinded with their own agenda, Mitt was the ONE!!!!!! So, shall we try again? I say Yes, 2012!!!!!!!!!! Fun video, We do things like that here, thanx 2thpt. Feel the love and joy of the holiday season, you got to love it, Christmas here we come……….
November 28th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Hello John:
This is so frustrating to our family. It seems those who are trying to be legal citizens can’t and now the others are able to accomplish that without any effort or output. It makes no sense.
My brother married a fine lady from Mexico. She has a daughter, which my brother adopted (he is a US Citizen) and they have been trying for many years to get citizenship for their daughter - legally. They have paid out thousands and thousands of dollars and made trips hundreds of miles away only to be told to come back in another month. Yes, they have an attorney. However, she has now been given notice to deport within 45 days. She has no black marks against her record. She attended all of her high school years in the US and she is a very nice young lady (she is now 21 or 22).
They live in St. George, UT. Is there anyone you know of that they can contact that will truly try to help them.
Would it help to contact their Congressman?
Thank You
November 28th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Jason Chaffetz is not their congressman and I don’t know that he could help however this sounds just like the kind of story that would draw attention to his cause of fighting illegal immigration. I would contact their congressman and Jason.
November 29th, 2008 at 3:25 am
Tracey. Wait till they find out that Chaffetz is LDS. Then, they’ll lose the luster. The GOP has a real problem. he’s a good guy/gal so long as they worship in the ‘right’ christian chruch. I guess because his last name is what it is, they would never think his faith was one they just can’t get past when voting.
Chaffetz represents south SaltLake County down to Provo area. He’s not my congressman either.
November 29th, 2008 at 3:30 am
Annette
I know EXACTLY what your talking about! My oldest daughter was brought here illegally by her parents from Mexico. they abused her and DCFS took her away, along with siblings born in this country. Choice was: Deport parents, leave children. 2. Deport children, leave legal children, take older daughter who was abused. (so parents can have her back once across border). or 3. Deport everyone. We adopted them all, but it took us another 3 years to get my oldest adopted. AND MY BROTHER IS AN IMMIRGRATION ATTORNEY! We signed papers that got lost. We had to get a green card so she could work here, even though she was only 5. We had to redo paperwork at least 3 times before I finally wrote to a certain Senator and a certain gov, telling him that all we wanted to do was bring this little one into the country legally (she was already with us the whole time) so we can adopt her. We finally got it all done, and she was adopted 3 years after her siblings.
November 29th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Thanks for the Advice
by Bill O’Reilly
Saturday, November 29, 2008
http://townhall.com/columnists/BillOReilly/2008/11/29/thanks_for_the_advice
One of the things I am deeply grateful for this Thanksgiving season is that my father was a frugal guy and made a big deal out of it. A child of the Depression, William O’Reilly Sr. hoarded his dollars and lectured his children on saving, not spending, money.
Sure, it was boring. My sister and I had visions of Snickers bars and Good Humor ice cream dancing in our heads. But as soon as I started making some money cutting lawns and shoveling snow, I saved a nice piece of it primarily because my father was 6 feet 3 inches tall.
Not everybody got that lesson. The current economic horror can be traced back to one major trend: Americans borrowing money they can’t pay back; buying houses they can’t afford, running up credit card debt like crazy. Of course, the banks were only too happy to help out — providing massive amounts of credit to people of limited means. What’s the difference between a drug dealer and a mortgage broker? Interest.
So now we are all getting pounded, but some are better off than others. I still hear my father’s voice when my paycheck rolls in, and much of that check gets deposited in the bank. It does not get spent. It sits there in insured accounts, winking at me. But it’s there, and it will protect my family and me if disaster should occur.
Along with the saving habit, my father also mocked materialists. Living in Levittown, we had the basics and that was that. If my dad saw somebody buying something dumb — like a foreign car for instance — he’d make fun of it. Our “pre-owned” Nash Rambler wasn’t exactly stylish, but it got us to the beach.
When my father died, he left my mother no debt and enough cash to live on for the duration. Mom is now approaching 86 years old, and if she wants a steak, it is there for her. My father’s legacy is one of rock-solid responsibility and every obligation met.
If all Americans were like my dad, the following things would happen: First, Starbucks would go bankrupt. Spaghetti joints would replace the overpriced coffee houses. There would be no sign of a Bentley automobile. Costco would rule from coast to coast. Nobody would pay 10 bucks to see a movie unless Clint Eastwood returned as “Dirty Harry.” Any restaurant with “fusion” on the menu would be empty. No one would eat gelato. Ever.
But everybody would have money in the bank, and the credit card companies would be weeping. Also, there would be no bailouts for slacker corporations or white-collar thugs like the AIG guys.
My father always said to be thankful for what you have. And make sure you have enough.
November 29th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
Chris
I wish the base could recognize that we have more in common. Our value system is aligned with theirs and that is all that really matters.
I don’t think for one minute that Mitt Romney would ever try to force everyone in America to be Mormon if he were President. I read a comment on evangelicals for MItt that said when MItt was governor of Mass., the baptism for the church in Mass. dropped. So, I guess missionary work would suffer if Mitt ever gets elected President.
I don’t think evangelicals need to be afraid of Mitt Romney. He could do a good job for America in the White House. Not because he is a MOrmon but because he is a business man with all the right experience and know how.