Thanksgiving times a comin’.
The Thanksgiving time of the year was always a special time for me as a child, even before I had learned about the history of the Pilgrims in school. My Momma had instilled into me the fact that Thanksgiving was a special day set aside for family and friends to get together, perhaps share a meal and fellowship with one another, and to offer their sincere heartfelt praise and thanks to God for providing to us from His bounty. In the case of my Momma offering her sincere heartfelt praise and thanks, Thanksgiving Day was more than only one designated day of the year, much more, for it was simply her way of daily life.
For many people today, Thanksgiving is just a day for football, maybe a televised parade for the kids, and a hurried dash to the best sale bargain. Well, it wasn’t like that around my childhood home, not in the least.
Now picture this: A long formal dining table set with crisp linens, polished crystal stemware, silver utensils, and the best dinnerware that money could buy. Properly dressed dinner guests engaged in polite conversation, replete with fine table manners while dining on a huge purchased turkey with all the trimmings, are gathered around the table. Now, imagine Norman Rockwell sitting close by painting the scene he is witnessing. Do you have the picture?
That ain’t ‘zactly the way it was in our home. Not by a long shot.
Our long table consisted of two tables butt end to end, folding game tables for the kids, and TV dinner tray tables as overflow. Crisp linens were not to be found in our home. Drink glasses were a motley assortment of jelly jar glasses and mason jars. Any silver anywhere near the table was comprised of pocket change. Momma’s good china came from inside of detergent boxes purchased one at a time throughout the course of time. While it is true our table settings were secondhand, compared to many we were high class.
Our dinner guests were usually friends or family members, each thankful for whatever clothes they were wearing. Table manners were passing the gravy bowls without having one’s thumb inside the bowl. The conversation was usually friendly and loud.
The meal itself was whatever our fields and garden had provided. Meat dishes were whatever we had been fortunate enough to have after a few times hunting. Turkey, goose, duck, pheasant, and guinea might be mixed and matched upon the same table. No matter the choice of meat, Momma’s fry bread dressing and secret gravies brought it to life. You might say our family was both organic and free range many years ahead of the times we hear of today.
My Dad always gave God the credit for providing the feast, and truly thankful we were indeed, for we were together…..and rich beyond compare. Our wealth was not measured financially, but we had treasures nevertheless.
Has Thanksgiving Day today lost its true meaning? I think it has for many, and for that I am saddened. It seems to be such a fast paced society now, a society rushing to arrive nowhere quickly.
It is my hope the reader would slow down, even for a few moments, and re-live some point in time within their lives remembering their own treasures.
Have a safe and blessed Thanksgiving. If you feel like adding to the thread, please go ahead on.
The Thanksgiving time of the year was always a special time for me as a child, even before I had learned about the history of the Pilgrims in school. My Momma had instilled into me the fact that Thanksgiving was a special day set aside for family and friends to get together, perhaps share a meal and fellowship with one another, and to offer their sincere heartfelt praise and thanks to God for providing to us from His bounty. In the case of my Momma offering her sincere heartfelt praise and thanks, Thanksgiving Day was more than only one designated day of the year, much more, for it was simply her way of daily life.
For many people today, Thanksgiving is just a day for football, maybe a televised parade for the kids, and a hurried dash to the best sale bargain. Well, it wasn’t like that around my childhood home, not in the least.
Now picture this: A long formal dining table set with crisp linens, polished crystal stemware, silver utensils, and the best dinnerware that money could buy. Properly dressed dinner guests engaged in polite conversation, replete with fine table manners while dining on a huge purchased turkey with all the trimmings, are gathered around the table. Now, imagine Norman Rockwell sitting close by painting the scene he is witnessing. Do you have the picture?
That ain’t ‘zactly the way it was in our home. Not by a long shot.
Our long table consisted of two tables butt end to end, folding game tables for the kids, and TV dinner tray tables as overflow. Crisp linens were not to be found in our home. Drink glasses were a motley assortment of jelly jar glasses and mason jars. Any silver anywhere near the table was comprised of pocket change. Momma’s good china came from inside of detergent boxes purchased one at a time throughout the course of time. While it is true our table settings were secondhand, compared to many we were high class.
Our dinner guests were usually friends or family members, each thankful for whatever clothes they were wearing. Table manners were passing the gravy bowls without having one’s thumb inside the bowl. The conversation was usually friendly and loud.
The meal itself was whatever our fields and garden had provided. Meat dishes were whatever we had been fortunate enough to have after a few times hunting. Turkey, goose, duck, pheasant, and guinea might be mixed and matched upon the same table. No matter the choice of meat, Momma’s fry bread dressing and secret gravies brought it to life. You might say our family was both organic and free range many years ahead of the times we hear of today.
My Dad always gave God the credit for providing the feast, and truly thankful we were indeed, for we were together…..and rich beyond compare. Our wealth was not measured financially, but we had treasures nevertheless.
Has Thanksgiving Day today lost its true meaning? I think it has for many, and for that I am saddened. It seems to be such a fast paced society now, a society rushing to arrive nowhere quickly.
It is my hope the reader would slow down, even for a few moments, and re-live some point in time within their lives remembering their own treasures.
Have a safe and blessed Thanksgiving. If you feel like adding to the thread, please go ahead on.
