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November 25, 2010

Gathering Together

"We gather together to ask the Lord's blessings...." What a wonderful way to start Thanksgiving Day. So are you thankful? For friends, family, peace of mind, health, a place to stay, food? The little things? Or will you spend your day bemoaning what you don't have? Think about those with less than you or with larger troubles than you can begin to imagine. Then, be thankful!

We all know that the "first" Thanksgiving in the U.S. of A was celebrated by the Pilgrims but did you know that Thanksgiving was not always celebrated on the last Thursday of November? George Washington suggested November 26; Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November as the national day of Thanksgiving. FDR moved it up a week earlier in 1939 to accommodate the retailers who wanted a longer Christmas shopping season. Hmmm, was this beginning of the Black Friday tradition? But get this, the city of Memphis, and several other states balked at Roosevelt's proclamation. This, from today's Commercial Appeal: What if the president declared a national holiday and the people of Memphis ignored it? That's exactly what happened on Thanksgiving Day in 1939. The headline in The Memphis Commercial Appeal on Nov. 23 of that year read, "It's A National Holiday But Not In Memphis." It reported that "the banks will be open as usual, you'll start the children off to school at the regular time, the postman will come. ... Really, it's going to be just another Thursday." Congress intervened in 1941 and declared the last Thursday of the month as the federal holiday.

How will I spend Thanksgiving? I'll be trying to sleep so that I can gather with my Walmart family to ensure that you spend all of your money with us. I hit the online Thanksgiving special because when the items I want become available in the wee hours tomorrow morning, I'll be busy working the cash register. And what is on the television to get me in the mood but the latest documentary on Walmart. Very interesting.

Leaving you with a laugh at one tough bird who will NOT be on your table:




I'll be thinking of you and wishing you a blessed Thanksgiving, full of good food, friends, and joy. Be safe. Be Blessed.

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