Happy Thanksgiving

I am baking a pumpkin cheesecake and hoping that the weather will hold so Grandma can make it to our house.

Otherwise... We'll have potatoes,salad, cheese & crackers and cheesecake.

An Irish Blessing for you on Thanksgiving

May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life's passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!

*updated to add my little rant*

I heard a host on the Today Show say that "Thanksgiving is about food, family and getting ready to shop tomorrow". Now I remember why I don't watch those shows.

As I was driving to the grocery store for a few items I forgot yesterday it occured to me that what she said probably rings true for many. And that made me sad.

And, as I stewed over it more, I realized that in order to celebrate Thanksgiving you must have someone to thank; that someone being God.

The pilgrims came to the "New World" to escape religious persecution. When they arrived they thanked God for their safe passage.

The pilgrims wouldn't have survived the first year if they hadn't been befriended by an Indian named Squanto. When the rest of his tribe lft the area he chose to stay with the pilgrims. (I am, of course oversimplifing the life of Squanto, there is a great piece on him here.)

Many pilgrims died that first winter. If not for Squanto it would have been many more. After the first harvest the pilgrims gave thanks to God for their bounty. Bounty that today would be even below the level that most of our poorest citizens would be thankful for.

But thankful they were, to God, for their survival and their home.

And thankful we should be, today, to God for our freedoms, our prosperity and our families.

It would do everyone good to remember that. Because as we forget we lose our motto: In God We Trust.

For another great read check out Bob's Lost Iowan Diary.