Since I am lazy and male, I make very little effort on this day. So, instead of burning out a few brain cells actually thinking, I just re-edited and re-posted this from Thanksgiving of 2008. Have a great feast today and enjoy your family and friends!
Each year, on the last Thursday of November, the people of the United States celebrate Thanksgiving. This holiday was derived from stories of the Pilgrims giving thanks for surviving a couple of harsh winters and reaping a bountiful harvest that promised that the colony would survive and flourish.
There are many conflicting histories of the First Thanksgiving and some like to revel in the many misconceptions and misunderstandings of those early events. I don't. I try to look behind the mythology to the meaning, you might say "soul", of the ritual.
Thanksgiving is about gathering family and friends, it is about appreciating the blessings you have received even in years where perhaps you have also suffered problems, setbacks, or sorrow. It is a time to look in wonder at that silver lining we tend to ignore. It is a time to forgive the slights you've felt 
from those who should be close to you. It is a time to reach out to family and friends to let them know they are important to you.And, finally, it is the time to be truly thankful that you are not a turkey.
(image credit: *AngELofREbellion)
8 comments:
Had fun with your turkey puzzle -- but I sure didn't set any new records. Took me 23 min.
Thanks for the info Douglas. Not being American I didn't really know what Thanksgiving was about. How did the Turkey come to be the centrepiece of the meal? Because whenever I read of Thanksgiving there's always Turkey mentioned. I assume it was part of the Pilgrim's original Thanksgiving meal... Or I could be wrong in my assumption too. I enjoy reading your blog too by the way & will add you to my RSS Reader
P.S. I got the Turkey's head & red thing whatever it's called together then gave up in frustration at the rest.
I'm not really sure how the turkey became the Thanksgiving mainstay. There were wild turkeys in the days of the Pilgrims and in their area but they did not resemble the puffed domestic version of today. It is more likely the Pilgrims had venison on their tables. Here's one take I found: http://wanttoknowit.com/why-do-we-eat-turkey-on-thanksgiving/
Thanks for the kind words and I hope you continue to enjoy it.
BTW, that "red thing" is apparently called a "snood."
It does seem much harder than at the original site. I am hooked on that jigsaw puzzle site and a couple of crossword sites.
I checked out the link. I had to laugh at the part that said: "Franklin thought that turkeys should be the national symbol of America"
I think the choice of the Bald Eagle was a better option. Considering the word Turkey these days is used to describe a foolish person. I remember seeing a poster in an office once that said "How can I soar like an Eagle when I have to work with Turkeys".
Yes people of America, my advice... Stick with the Bald Eagle.!!!
Old Ben wanted the wild turkey (not the truly stupid domesticated variety) as the national emblem.
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Turkey#Benjamin_Franklin_and_the_US_national_bird for his reasons.
You got me looking up the domestic variety which I found to be originated by the Aztecs, brought to Europe by the Spanish and later introduced to North America from England.
Thanks for the link Daniel. A very interesting article.
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