Just another day in paradise.........

A couple of myths about Thanksgiving:
1. The Pilgrims celebrated the original Thanksgiving in November....just like we do. That first celebration was probably sometime between September 21 and November 11. It was quite a celebration however as it lasted for three whole days! The Pilgrims probably based their celebration on their old English harvest festival which was usually held on September 29.
2. Thanksgiving was celebrated every year after the original feast. Abaham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863 with his Thanksgiving Proclamation (only slightly less famous than his Emmancipation Proclamation and his Let's Go to the Theater Proclamation!) Franklin D. Roosevelt set the fourth Thursday in Novermber would be celebrated as Thanksgiving.
3. The Pilgrims invented Thanksgiving. Many civilizations have celebrated harvest festivals for hundreds of years. In the Middle East, people offered wheat to the "Mother of Wheat." During the middle ages Europeans celbrated the Feast of Saint Martin on November 11 giving thanks for the harvest. The Aztecs celebrated a corn goddess. Honoring the harvest is a tradition that spans many cultures.
4. The Pilgrims were celebrating a bountiful harvest....actually, NO. The harvest of 1621 was pretty miserable. However, the Pilgrims were thankful to be alive. I once read a quote that said the Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving

This will be our second Thanksgiving with a son in a combat zone. When Seth served in Afghanistan we had an empty seat at our table. This year we'll have two empty seats but I'll still be thankful. I'm thankful for my sons..all three of them. They have always made me proud. Not because of accomplishments or anything they have done. I'm proud of them because of what they hold in their hearts. This Thanksgiving I'll be grateful for all my family and friends that support us with thoughts and prayers. I'll be thankful for all the men serving with Seth and Eli and the bonds of trust and friendship that are being formed.
And something to think about on this eve of Thanksgiving.....Grace isn't something to utter or chant before your meal....it's a way to live. I've been challenged lately to live a life full of grace and I thank God for that challenge. I would like to think I'm being molded into a more patient, appreciative person. The work in progress continues. A very Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!
Seth and Eli will enjoy Thankgiving at Al Asad before heading outside the wire on a weekend mission.