Date: Fri 24-Nov-1995

Publication: Bee

Author: CURT

Quick Words:

edink-Thanksgiving-vision

Full Text:

The Vision Of Thanksgiving

We have now entered that time of year when visions abound. Filling our heads

are visions of hearth and home, of sugar plum fairies, of the life we want to

live. Even though we know our families have their fair share of odd

characters, our towns face difficult problems, and a few of our country's

ideals seem to have shaken loose, that perfect vision persists somewhere

inside all of us, and never is it more in mind than at Thanksgiving.

If you believe the lore, Thanksgiving was one of the first holidays celebrated

in the New World. The Pilgrims in Plymouth Colony gave thanks in a three-day

festival in 1621. By 1649, the custom of giving thanks at harvest time had

established itself in Connecticut. For more than 200 years, it remained just a

seasonal custom until President Lincoln proclaimed a national harvest holiday

in 1863, when it became a regular, predictable part of the calendar.

While Thanksgiving is a decidedly old-fashioned tradition, we have added some

modern variations to the day, including football and long naps after the

traditional feast. But its lasting appeal has not grown so much out of the

comforts of the day as it has out of the enduring vision we have of ourselves

as part of a family, a community, and a nation. And its durability is directly

related to the tolerant nature of our families, communities, and nation; we

accommodate many different visions, from Norman Rockwell to Andy Warhol. We

also make a place at the table for those of odd and difficult characters in

our individual and civic lives, and somehow we managed to give thanks for it.

It's a vision that doesn't always match our everyday experience, but it does

us good to hold that vision in our minds and hearts, even for a day.