Thanksgiving: Commemoration of 500 Years of Betrayal Returned for Friendship

It has recently come to my attention that there are people who see only the historical context of this day which we celebrate. I think that it important to recognize that as educated people, we understand the historical truths and have been working toward expelling some of those myths we grew up with. Despite what we know about where Thanksgiving Day came from and what actually happened during that point in our country's history, today, to us as individuals, this holiday has taken on a different meaning.

Days of giving thanks happened long before that "first Thanksgiving" we learned about as children. Thanks were given for the lives we have and the people who share that with us. Thanks were given for food and resources, sun and life, family and friends. Today, I like to think that the meaning of Thanksgiving has returned to a meaning much closer to what native people had been celebrating long before the Europeans landed. I like to think that we are celebrating something much purer than those myths.

I, personally, am celebrating precious time in which my whole family is able to take off from work and school to gather and share stories and laughter, a time when we can express our love and thanks for one another. This is what I will be doing tomorrow.

Loving you always,
Elly
with wild plums and agrimony