What are You Celebrating this Thanksgiving?

Where did Thanksgiving come from, anyway? I ponder. 

Thanksgivings Past

As I continue to build an enjoyable, fulfilling life, I aim for meaning in everything that I do. And so, when we sit down at the table this year for Thanksgiving, I want to dig in with a deeper sense of purpose. 

As mentioned in the Los Angeles Times, "With a focus on the food, the gathering of the family and friends, and the sharing of memory over the table, [Thanksgiving is] embraced by everyone as an American experience."  

For all my years on earth, my family and I have celebrated Thanksgiving. We gathered for annual long-winded prayers to God, followed by countless dishes and flavors that more than satisfied our appetites. I equally enjoyed laughing with family and devouring the food!

The parade of culinary delights lifted our spirits and brought on severe cases of the 'itis, otherwise known as food coma or postprandial somnolence (I just learned that!). And, come to think of it, at no point during our celebrations were the Pilgrims or Native Americans mentioned. 

The "First" Thanksgiving

The only time I recall Pilgrims being a topic of discussion was in school. They taught us that the "First Thanksgiving" was when the Pilgrims and the Native Americans dined together 400 years ago after a fruitful harvest season in Plymouth, Massachusetts. 

Some people view Thanksgiving as "a celebration of the conquest of Native Americans." Because of this belief, some people are conflicted and question whether they should celebrate the holiday.

Thanksgiving is also a Celebration of Freedom

But, I learned that Thanksgiving has a history outside of Pilgrims and Native Americans. Thanksgiving feasts took place long before that meeting 400 years ago, in celebration of successful harvest seasons. 

Also, a couple of centuries after the "First Thanksgiving," in October of 1863, is when Thanksgiving became an official federal holiday. 

Remember 1863? It was when Abraham Lincoln declared that all slaves in America free with the Emancipation Proclamation. 

So, Thanksgiving is a celebration of abundance and freedom! That is what journalist Sarah Hale adverted when she nudged the president to sign the Thanksgiving proclamation. It invited Americans to reserve the last Thursday in November "as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens." 

Choose to Give Thanks

Well, I've got plenty of things to give "thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father" for! So, when my family chooses to celebrate on Thanksgiving Day, we choose to give thanks to God. We choose gratitude for the freedoms we have been afforded and the abundance that we enjoy and share.   

You have the power to define the meaning of your experiences. And, regardless of which part of history you latch on to define your American Thanksgiving day experience, I hope you still enjoy the beauty of giving thanks. According to poet Rumi, "Wear gratitude like a cloak and it will feed every corner of your life."