Why do We Have A Thanksgiving Day anyhow? Is it the day before Black Friday, the day the stores are open longer and people go from store to store looking for bargains? Is it the day to watch football games and eat lots of treats while you are watching? Is it the day we bring in Christmas, as far as our music and decorating is concerned? Is it Turkey Day? Or is it the day the family all gets together to eat a fabulous dinner?

I don’t think any of those things were originally the reasons for having a Thanksgiving Day. I have read most of the proclamations of Thanksgiving by American Presidents and most of them say it is a day to give thanks to God for our freedom, a  prayer of thanks for our military men and women and for our families.

Why have we mishandled this beautiful day? Oh we have a dinner and say a prayer before we dive in but that seems to be all. The men hurry to the television set to watch the football game and the women spend their time planning the shopping trip they will begin around midnight.

Why don’t we set Thanksgiving Day aside as a special day to give thanks for all things. It might be a good idea to have each family member tell things he or she is thankful for. These are not big ideas but they do start a conversation and that is always good. Let’s forget about shopping, Christmas or football games until another day. This day is to give thanks for the things that have happened to you over the past year. If you have had bad luck this past year, you can aways find something you are thankful for.

Think of the dinner all prepared by volunteers for those people who are homeless or lonely. Maybe you even gave some money to those volunteers. Isn’t that something to give thanks for? I am talking as much for myself and my family. I hope this year we will really give thanks. How about you?

 

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I see young folks looking at their smart phones all the time. It seems as though their eyes are glued to the screens. They don’t see the colored leaves or the blue skies any more. I think spending a day in the 30’s would be good for them. For instance they would walk to school and come home with chores to do along with their home work. They would do their home work using a tablet, which was sheets of paper held together with a cardboard cover and backing. Their chores would be to chop and carry in wood for the stoves, make sure that there was enough water in the reservoir and water cooler. If not, they had to carry water from the pump outside, and help with dinner preparations. These are the things I did, but if you lived on a farm there would be more to do like milking the cows or gathering eggs.

If you needed to go to the bathroom, you’d go outdoors to the outhouse and instead of toilet paper you had a sheet or two of the sears catalog to use. If there was a little time left before bed time you would make up your own games and play outside, even if there was snow on the ground. And bathing was done in the wash tubs, the cleanest kid had his bath first!

There was no electricity so you had to make your own music. Most homes had a piano but some had only a guitar but everyone gathered around and sang the songs that were popular  like “Put on your old gray bonnet, with the blue ribbons on it and hitch old dobbin to the sleigh.” or “My buddy”. There were stories too and usually there was a story teller to tell them.

It would be quite a change for our young people wouldn’t it? But we young people had fun too! I don’t know but I think going back would be more fun than gazing at their smart phones or tablets all the time.

I got tired writing all the things we did in the 30’s!  I guess the television sets, computers, cell phones and tablets have their places in today’s world. However, I think the young people should take their eyes off their smart phones and tablets to see what’s going on in the world! Don’t you?