A wonderful friend sent me an email tonight. It is a beautiful reminder of Thanksgiving’s meaning and its roots. I am compelled to share it with each of you:
Perhaps one of the most important traditions associated with Thanksgiving has been lost to history. We in America have been blessed so abundantly we forget the humble circumstances surrounding the first feast of thanksgiving. Even the poorest of our circle of friends, family, and associates have more wealth than the Pilgrims could even dream of.
Those who gave thanks at Plymouth by sharing a feast of gratitude left us another part of their heritage. As they approached the harvest season, they would determine if they had had a bounteous year or a lean harvest. If the storehouse was full, they had a feast of thanksgiving. If the larder contained less than what was adequate for winter, they had a fast. For them it was either feast or fast.
As we look back at 2013 with the perspective of 12 months, we pause and reflect on our many blessings at this season of thanksgiving. We find that our harvest has been ample. Even if our circumstances were otherwise, we'd still celebrate this Thanksgiving with as much feast as we can muster. As we partake of the foods of the holiday and offer our prayers of appreciation, we'll remember our real blessings. If all we had were but water and a cracker to eat, we could not fast. We would call it a feast because of our association with so many fine people like you.****
***Printed with permission of Evan Swensen, Publication Consultants
Until Next Time,
Kat