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Thanksgiving: More than Stuffing
By Larry Seitz | November 22, 2007
Thanksgiving, a North American celebration is replete with traditions dating back to 1578, when an English Explorer, Martin Frobisher, sought a passage through Canada to the orient. A ceremony was held giving thanks for surviving the long journey. The Canadian Thanksgiving is equivalent to the European harvest festival, where churches are filled with cornucopias, pumpkins, corn, bundles of wheat, and other harvest abundance. Hymns are sung on the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend, with biblical references related to the Jewish harvest festival of Sukkoth.
The earliest American Thanksgiving celebration took place at present-day Berkeley Plantation in Virginia in 1619 and at Plymouth by settlers known as Pilgrims in present-day Massachusetts in 1621.
Thanksgiving, considered a secular holiday did offer a reference by giving thanks to God by President Abraham Lincoln when he declared Thanksgiving a national American holiday.
Aside from the obvious gastronomic feast, why is this holiday so relevant to our lives? What have we learned from the settlers who carved our history and made this day such an important celebration? What have we learned from their sacrifices?
It is a gathering of family, friends, and sometimes strangers around a table laden with food. In some homes, an open benediction praising God and the bounty he has bestowed upon them is offered.
Reflection on those brave members of the first settlements clarifies our understanding why Thanksgiving is more than stuffing. It was a time when the tapestry they created offered thanks in spite of tremendous odds to survive. These brave pioneers taught us that giving thanks is not enough. It is a time of reflection. It is a time when we can give back to those less fortunate, offering them more than gracious and respectful plaudits.
Yes. Thanksgiving is more than stuffing. It is comforting words…surrounded by giving.
May your Thanksgiving be to you and yours a day of happiness, good health and reflection of the bounty we can enjoy.
In the American tradition, Football has become an integral part of the day’s entertainment. 
Why don’t you join the SunPower Kidz™ healthy team? 
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Topics: Welcoming Words |