T-H-A-N-K-F-U-L

Isn't that what Thanksgiving is for? You would think (due to current commercialism) that it revolves around "black-Friday". Or football. Or getting a jump on Christmas. The decorations and music began this year right after Halloween.

I guess there is no MANDATE about what Thanksgiving is supposed to be. However, I'm choosing to go old school, and think a little about what the original settlers experienced those first few years and why they would have a gathering and be thankful. I don't know exactly how the "party committee" got together back in those days and organized something like a Thanksgiving shin-dig, but let's go back and imagine . . . . . .

Within the past couple years, you might have lost one or more family members due to some nasty disease or a relatively minor injury that got infected and proper medical treatment wasn't available. (Even proper for THAT time.) Your log cabin (that lets cold air in like CRAZY) is being shared with three other families, one of which has two small children that NEVER stop crying and fussing. The teenage son of one of the other families has gotten into the "drink" and never gets out of the house. The bugs were particularly bad last summer because of all the rain. AND because of all the rain, the planting of corn failed to produce and food was short. This is an election year, and all we ever seem to hear is VOTE FOR GEORGE - or VOTE FOR WILLIAM for the governor of the settlement. The local Indian tribe is ticked about the fact that some of the boys have been going out and shooting up things over by the deer and elk sanctuary, making it hard to get an easy kill (like back in the old days). They are on the war-path and don't mind taking a small child or helpless maiden during one of their raids. (Wish they would take the two screamers from THIS cabin . . . . )

These are real, life changing, trying issues that faced the good folk so long ago. You just get relief from ONE Of those heartaches, and you have something to be thankful for. Change more than one, and you have a party on your hands. Their issues were daily and they were often life-threatening. And even in that existence, they chose to be thankful.

I'm thankful that my biggest issues are cleaning up cat vomit, or scraping frost off the windshield, or needing to empty the dish washer, for pitty-sake.

Look around. It's more than football and shopping. Have blessed Thanksgiving.