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Well, Dick, I'll give the explaining a try .... In the early 1600s, English-speaking settlers who had endured scraping out an existence on the rocky soil of what is now the northeastern U.S., celebrated their first harvest with a Thanksgiving feast, shared with native Americans who contributed to the feast. Over the next 200 years, Thanksgiving Days were declared from time to time in the North American colonies. By the mid-1800s, the idea had spread ... across America the tradition took hold of setting aside a day to give thanks for the good things that occurred, for the bounty of the land and for family and friends. The holiday was not celebrated on the same day in all places, however. Then in 1863 (I think it was) Abraham Lincoln declared a national day of thanksgiving... and the national holiday became universal. Celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, all across America families travel to be together for the day. The highlight of the day is to have a great meal, with family gathered around the table. It is traditional to have a turkey as the main course, and other foods are traditional in various areas of the country. I cannot imagine Thanksgiving dinner without candied sweet potatos (sweet yams), stuffing and cranberry sauce. Every family has it's own traditions, different recipes and treats.
This year it was not possible for my wife's sisters to join us today, but not having Thanksgiving dinner together was not acceptable. So, last weekend, my wife's father and step-mother, her sisters and their husbands, neices and nephews, converged on our house to celebrate an early Thanksgiving. Today, my daughter is home from college, my mother is about to arrive and we are having another Thanksgiving dinner.... and will telephone the other branches of the family to wish them a happy day as they gather for their Thanksgiving meal.
We have much to be thankful for ... the good that has occurred, the things not harmed in the season's hurricanes, but mostly thankful for all the family and friends who make life what it is. And that includes all the people who make Koi-Bito a special sort of community.
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11-25-2005
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