Thanksgiving

     We call it Thanksgiving but what is Thanksgiving really? It started out as a dinner shared by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians to celebrate the first successful harvest they had. "The English colonists we call Pilgrims celebrated days of thanksgiving as part of their religion. But these were days of prayer, not days of feasting" (Scholastic.com). The last time I checked, only 2% of the nation actually farms. There are plenty of gardens but I bet most of the Thanksgiving feast one eats on Thanksgiving comes from a grocery store and not one's own farm.   
     As a tradition now, we get together with family and/or friends to share a feast. When I say feast I mean more food on one table than most people eat in a week. Then sometimes, some people go around the table and say one thing they are grateful for. Then there might be a prayer and after that we gluttonously consume food for hours. There are usually leftovers and everyone leaves that night feeling bloated and uncomfortable. Call me cynical, but I thought gluttony was one of the seven deadly sins.   
     We have an inside joke in my church that if you want something to be well attended you have to have food. We get made fun of over food: green jello, casseroles, leftover cookies/cake from wedding receptions, I could go on. We are a food loving people. But seriously, wouldn't it be better to show our gratitude by not feasting? Wouldn't it be better if people showed up because the message was more important than the food?
     I have personally not taken much of an interest in Thanksgiving. My mom hates turkey so we would go out for Chinese or go be with my grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins. It wasn't about the food for me at all. I think the best way to show gratitude would be to fast on Thanksgiving and give the money we would have spent on lunch/dinner to charity. "I am so grateful that my life was good this year that I want to help someone else." But then again the idea of spending time with my family while they are all hungry is a terrifying thought. So how about a compromise? What if we don't gorge ourselves on a feast this year. What if we just have a nice dinner where everyone gets fed and we can be grateful that we aren't going home sick this year instead. 

(I do not own the copyright to this picture and if I need to remove it I will.)