Simple Thanksgiving Musings

     We still vaguely hear mention of pilgrims coming over to a new world. They sought freedom to practice their puritanical rituals, to build new lives for themselves. They barely made it through the year, losing many of their group. Along came the Native Americans who showed the white man how to hunt, plant corn, and survive the new land they came to. They had a feast to celebrate and invited the Native men to join them. So began Thanksgiving, falalalala  lalalalaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! 
      Now a days we have gatherings with people we see often and those that are the holiday people, you know the once or twice a year folks. We shop at grocery stores crowded beyond belief and stress and fret over producing a meal that looks like the one on the cover of the magazine. It's the start of the special foods, the ones we only make for these occasions. We use the excuse it's Thanksgiving so make sure you eat even more than normal. Gluttony at it's best and over the years I have come to hate this part of it. Oh I do bake & cook some special goodies, but as the years go by the sides are getting less in number. We all like the Normal Rockwell Thanksgiving, but it's not us anymore. The basics are there, and we are slowly learning to share. We are gorging on so much food, and in the next street there may be a family that barely has enough. I see more people giving money or even food to help the folks who need it. I give every year to a group that supplies meals for families, and as for us? We have a lovely dinner, that has a few sides and one dessert. We leave sated but we aren't waddling. 
      My take on this day goes as follows this year: 
Thanksgiving is a time to ponder what we are grateful for. This year as people are still struggling to get back to a normal life in the hardest hit areas of hurricane Sandy here in the US, special thoughts go out to all of those who lost homes and more so, those who lost lives of family and friends to the destruction. It was a strong reminder of what truly matters. I want to let my family and friends know how much they are loved and thought about. I am so grateful for everyone of you. You are scattered across land AND seas, but I close my eyes and you are all right there. You are all what I am Thankful for!!  
     Ciao For Now