Thanksgiving--a time for gratitude

I was just doing a bit of research on Thanksgiving to satisfy my curiosity. Historians say that it was first celebrated by the pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1621 or 1623. (Though some say that the Spanish first celebrated Thanksgiving in what is now called Saint Augustine, Florida, in 1565! Or even in 1598 in Texas. I don't doubt this--our so-called American history doesn't give as much credit for settling our country to the Spanish as it should. But that's another story for another day.)

Originally, Thanksgiving was probably a New England Calvinist (Puritan) celebration or a religious holiday. Then as it evolved, it also became a secular or nonreligious holiday. In an attempt to unite the states (who were all celebrating Thanksgiving on different days) during a tragic time in our history, in 1863, Abraham Lincoln declared it a national holiday to be celebrated on the last Thursday in November. Then after another rough time for our country, in 1941 FDR changed it to the fourth Thursday of the month, reasoning that an earlier celebration of the holiday would give the country an economic boost.

By the way, those who celebrate birthdays in the last week or two of November--like my granddaughter Livvy Lara, whose b-day is November 26--may find that from year to year,Thanksgiving may occur before or after their b-day. For example, last year 2012 Livvy was born on the Monday after Thanksgiving, but this year 2013, we celebrated her first birthday on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving! Interesting.

Anyway, I really only began this blog post with the intention of wishing each of you--my blog readers--a good holiday and to name a few things for which I am grateful.

1. I am grateful for retirement. I have finally realized that it is "the gift of time."

2. I am thankful for the tangy smell of oranges in my kitchen this morning as I made fresh cranberry-orange sauce for dinner tomorrow. Not being someone who enjoys cooking, I am also happy that that is all I have to make for Thanksgiving dinner this year!

3. I will be grateful if the wind chill dies down tomorrow morning so that we can take our traditional morning Thanksgiving walk at Radnor. We like to walk for miles with family and friends.

4. I am thankful that I can still walk for miles!

5. I am grateful for my daughter Ellen and son-in-law Nekos and for their health and happiness.

6. I am thankful for my two little granddaughters, Tessa at 3 and Livvy at 1. Grateful that they live so near me that I get to keep them over night every week.

7. I am grateful that I get to keep the girls weekly so that their mother can get her freelance writing done. (Ellen is a professional writer, and she's always trying to carve out time to get her work done. If you need some writing done, I suggest you contact her at http://www.linkedin.com/in/ellenmallernee. She's an amazingly talented writer--no kidding!)

8. I am thankful that Ellen gets to stay home with the girls. I know that in some ways, it would be easier for her to go to work outside the home, but I think that someone needs to be home for the children.

9. I am grateful for food, shelter, clothing, and fuel (for the house and car)--the "essentials" of this life for me and for my family.

10. I am also thankful to have running water and a working hot water heater.

11. I am grateful to have a working refrigerator, stove, washer, and dryer. My stove is over 35 years old, and my refrigerator is over 28 years old so I thank them everyday that they still work!

12. I am thankful for my blog and its readers. I like to write, and I like to teach. I think that my blog is one of those places that fulfills those needs in me. Thank you to my readers.