Thanksgiving Day: American as apple pie

Thanksgiving Day is as American as apple pie. Its origin commemorated the harvest reaped by the Plymouth Colony in 1621 after seasons of great starvation. One look at Thanksgiving dinners served today is proof that crops are bountiful.

This day of thanks has been adopted by people who live beyond our shores, who at times have celebrated with relatives living on U.S. soil. Americans who migrated to countries such as Australia, celebrate Thanksgiving Day. It's holiday hard to relinquish, as it is part of their heritage.

A young set of my British relatives has taken to serving the customary dinner of roast turkey and pumpkin pie on the last Thursday in November. This day of giving thanks for our many blessings was unknown to the British until American service men and women stationed in England during World War II celebrated this traditional holiday. I'm not sure if churches in England still observe a bountiful harvest on a Sunday in October as it has been many years since I attended church services set to rejoice a plentiful harvest and the climax of a year's labors where ever soil is cultivated.

It's a religious rite that has been celebrated from time immemorial by both, primitive and civilized people, with merrymaking or symbolic rites with a religious or magical significance. The Episcopal Church our family attended had a festive air on this day. Sheaths of corn, symbolizing the spirit of grain, were the backdrops for boughs of red Rowen berries holding still their bright yellow and bronze leaves. The low platform on each side of the alter held baskets of green marrows, apples, plums, quinces, gourds, various vegetables and homemade breads. It was not a day of feasting. The services were calming and uplifting and the display of bounty was colorful. Being thankful stretches beyond the food I set on a table day after day throughout the year.

Good health is still with hubby and I. We are able to navigate on our own steam and a blessing that is at the top of my daily gratitude.

We have four wonderful children, and spouses, who are our best friends, and a flock of grandchildren and great grandchildren who express their love for us. They are precious and treat us with respect. A bundle of hugs given us by them on the few occasions that we are together, have to last until our next meeting. We are very thankful for our families and our good friends who are an added joy.

Periodically I loose my appreciation for the deer that make regular early morning visits through my flower garden to feast on roses and Canterbury bells. On the other hand I'm thankful to live where wildlife still roams free.

A few years ago in the fall, a flock of six wild turkeys wandered through our yard a couple of times a day. Though they pooped everywhere, they delighted us with their antics. We watched them take numerous attempts to reach sunflower seeds, still in their casings on five-foot stems, and walk on our neighbor's roof where they appeared to have found something to suit their taste. My ex-game warden Hubby told me that the biggest of the set was a hen . . . Since they had practically taken up residence I thought they should be named. I chose Albertina for the mum and for her brood Alberty, Cuthbert, Philbert, Wilbert, and Delbert. Other than the hen I couldn't tell them apart, as they were as alike as peas in a pod. They don't visit us anymore and we miss them. I have visions of them stuffed and roasted adorning a Thanksgiving table.

We sighted a pair of Blue Jays this summer and were very happy and thankful to see them. Their royal blue plumage glistens when they fly from tree to tree. We were glad to see a few return. In past year's flocks of jays gathered on our front deck to eat Ponderosa nuts and then there were none here for a number of years.

I've lived in Montana long enough to know that winters can be harsh with zero temperatures that can hang on for spells long enough to freeze the outside logs of our house. In comparison to hurricanes, earthquakes and torrential rains I am thankful that during such cold snaps I can hibernate in the warmth of my home until milder temperatures return. Oh, yes, there is so much to be thankful for. When this Thanksgiving Day passes we can still give our thanks daily, for the gift of big and small pleasures in our lives. My wishes to you all are for a Happy Thanksgiving Day.