Today is the day we should give thanks for what we have (the good things like family and friends) and for what we don't have (the bad things like illness and debt). It should also be a day when we share what we have with the less fortunate. But it seems that all I hear on the TV is about Black Friday. Now I think that is really an appropriate name. People's greed turns every day, especially holidays, into a money making opportunity. I am old enough to remember the way it used to be celebrated. It was always a huge family gathering, usually at Grandma and Grandpa's place. It wasn't just about the food but the joy of spending time with family.
Since we moved away from our home state and our two boys grew up and one was killed in a highway accident, we don't celebrate the holidays anymore, at least not like the old days. I surely loved the old days and am old enough to remember the days of the steam locomotives blowing smoke and coughing their way up a grade. I have many fond memories of the old days but am also very blessed in the present, therefore I have plenty to be thankful for, both the past and the present. If we all look hard enough we can find things to complain about or be thankful for. Let us, at least for this day, be thankful for all that we do have and forget about the things we don't have. You all have a great Thanksgiving no matter how you spend it, you year?
Yes, i have so much to be thankful for. And we will have a huge family dinner too.
ReplyDeleteDizzy you make such great points. I also remember those days and miss them. Sad we have replaced gratitude for greed. Didn't happen overnight.
ReplyDeleteHave a very enjoyable Thanksgiving. We are like the two of you having moved away so will be a very low-key day. Perfect!
Trouble, hope you and your family enjoy the day. I always liked the left-overs for he next few days.
ReplyDeleteJMD, evil and greed sneaks in slowly so you hardly notice until it takes over, but let us all give thanks for all that we have, because we have been truly blessed.
May you have a very blessed day.
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving to you and the misses. I'm grateful to have someone around who remembers the old days.
ReplyDeleteMy hubbs of nearly 40 years got me a feast from a nice deluxe retail grocery store..We have one child in NYC she loves it goes for the twilight movie marathon and then chinese..We don't usually do much, got the flu and that put the kabosh on my volunteering..many are hungry here and cold and homeless, in the greatest country in the whole wide world it is wet, damp and cold as hell snow predicted soon..I used to cook many turkeys not anymore, I bought them too, we are soon to be fully retired won't be any money for much beside my cobra and my hubby's cobra and taxes on a tiny home, fixing it up costs more than when it was built..I hate all the black friday crap, won't go into a place unless I have to pick up my prescriptions on sunday out.It is target it will be quiet by then..we don't spend anything at all in december and the end of november, food soaring, gasoline is not cheap either..Long gone are the days of family times with helping others, most are estranged from any family and the families I help are from countries where they were treated like dirt, they adore their spouses, children, they become american citizens quickly and their children get educations and take care of their parents and siblings.Both my parents came from foreign countries, became US citizens immediately and worked liked the dickens for our huge family, mom passed when I was young and almost destroyed my daddy, he took to drink, God saved him but the times were horrible for my siblings and myself. Thanksgiving inthe USA beats any country in the world..Happy Happy, many thanks for interesting blogs you put forth daily!
ReplyDeleteI miss the old days of relaxed Thanksgivings - at least it was relaxing for everyone but my Mom who was up before dawn starting the preparations. I think Black Friday would be ok if it was on the Friday after Thanksgiving, but it is an outrage to profane a family holiday of gratitude and thanksgiving with the greed of retailers. No excuse for it at all in my mind.
ReplyDeleteJohn and Nan, thank you and you have a great one, too.
ReplyDeleteJimkabob, we need to get together and talk about he good old days.
Anon, you have had a hard life but I am sure there are things for you to be thankful for.
Gypsy, I too, certainly miss the good old days. I came from a close knit family and we used to have some great git-to-gethers. Times have changed.