Defending Thanksgiving

          I have heard, of late, the most ridiculous reasons for celebrating Thanksgiving that  have ever been proposed. One man in a grocery store said he was thankful for the chance to have a turkey dinner. This man was not impoverished, having a roast and some fresh fish in hid heaping cart. He just liked turkey. So what? I like stewed tomatoes, and I buy a small can when I want them.

          Perhaps the most absurd comment I’ve heard was from an average, blue collar working man interviewed on television, who said he was thankful that Donald Trump, a president for “the people” had been elected. This 99%-er, who worked in a factory, was glad that his mid-5-figure income would be protected by a billionaire who saw him only as a source of income tax revenue to shield his 1%-er “welfare tax breaks” at the IRS. (Not that Clanton would have been better, spending his taxes faster but on different things.) My point is that nothing in this political year gives anyone anything to be thankful for.

          As my friend Dudley says (dangerously close to apoplexy): We’ll be lucky if he doesn’t piss off every ally we ever had, or worse: start a war. No-one on either side of the aisle seem willing to admit that we put OURSELVES in this position – and not just Trump, but Clinton as well. Some choice we left ourselves.

          There have also been comments from friends and strangers alike who were grateful for everything from the Cubs winning the series to Apple’s latest ridiculous gadget. And sadly, I suspect, a lot of them will sit down to a Thanksgiving dinner with family or friends or both, and over-eat to the point of discomfort without ever looking up. Without seeing the people around them and realizing that there is the only real blessing in their lives: the people they love and who love them in return. The people who actually share their joys and their plight; who laugh at their jokes and cry at. Sure, you can be thankful for events and material things in your life. You should be. But the love that supports you and the God who gives you ability to endure are the most meaningful things in life. And they are always there. The Donald Trumps and Hillary Clintons and turkey dinners and World Series will all fade with time, but our circle of love will always be there.

          I had much more toe say here, but the only things WORTH saying are that I love you all, and I wish you a Happy and Meaningful Thanksgiving Day.

vince katarzynski