November 14th, 2008
by John Tiley

Many are wondering, as the traditional time of
thanks approaches just what is there to give thanks about? Jobs by the tens of thousands have
been lost. People have lost their homes and
everything they had with them. The banks are collapsing left and right, stocks in what were going concerns are worthless and now the giant companies are collapsing under their own weight too. Who could have ever thought GM could end up on a death bed? Indeed it looks as though a cold winter is truly descending on us!

I wonder what those early settlers back in 1621 were thinking at their Thanksgiving. After a harrowing trip across the Atlantic in a rickety
old sailing vessel, they arrived here in the “New World” only to face the back breaking tasks of building homes and shelters from the wild surroundings. And, of course, there was the planting and cultivating of crops to survive winter on.

Back then there were but a few of them to do all of those tasks at hand and as time passed, it
took its toll on their numbers and in the end there were fewer of them still. Yet it was these hearty ancestors of ours that, when the harvest came in, meager though I am sure it was, they didn’t complain or throw in the towel, they took the time to prepare a relative feast and give thanks for all they did receive.

I wonder what they would think if they could see us now. Would they belittle us for letting the
country get into such a disheveled mess or would they scold us for complaining when we still do have so much bounty, even if we don’t think so? Or both?

Back in 1621 they were thankful just for still being alive after their struggles. Not to belittle our situation but things are relative and although we are still in for a considerable amount of pain and loss before all of this passes, chances are we all will live through it and go on to be fruitful.

This country is highly capable of pulling
itself out of this desperate situation, we’ve done it before and we can do it again. We have a new,
fresh President and administration taking office
at the New Year. And as a result, hopefully, Americans will regain their moral compass, get rid of the greedy profit takers who have led us down this untenable path and at that point the “reset” button will be tripped and if GM really does fail, a new and more capable company will fill the void. Americans will return to relying on each other instead of foreigners for “cheaper, more profitable if inferior ” products. It has become obvious in this troubling time that, as America goes, so goes the entire world. That is because of the morality and heart that this country was built on. We are, after all the descendants and care takers of those brave and hearty folks that founded this country. We have, in fact, been the one country the entire world looks to for leadership time after time. And that is something that can’t be lost to cheap labor from India or to the pockets of the greedy, inscrutable executives that only could think in terms of unearned profits, with no consideration to the pride we take in the products we make here in America.

So as Thanksgiving approaches, Take time to remember our ancestors and what they went
through... I am sure the perspective will improve our view of today's troubles, and all we have to give thanks for.

Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a traditional North American holiday, which is a form of harvest festival. The date and whereabouts of the first Thanksgiving celebration is a topic of modest contention, though the earliest attested Thanksgiving celebration was on September 8, 1565 in what is now Saint Augustine, Florida. Despite scholarly research to the contrary, the traditional "first Thanksgiving" is venerated as having occurred at the site of Plymouth Plantation, in 1621. Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. Thanksgiving dinner is done in the evening, usually as a gathering of friends and/or family. This is the time for you to say all your thanks and wishes.

Definition courtesy of Wikipedia