Thankful Through the Centuries

The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in the fall of 1621--401 years ago. It took until 1863 for it to become an official holiday, courtesy of President Abraham Lincoln.

History recounts that the early New England settlers, the Pilgrims, shared a peaceful and enjoyable autumn harvest celebration with the Native Americans of the area. There are no historical records of hate crimes, racism, bigotry or white supremacy during this three-day feast of thanksgiving for a plentiful harvest.

Imagine that. People just being people together; people enjoying being good neighbors and friends. If that could happen in 1621, why not in 2022? I say yes, it can and does still happen. Despite any attempt to denigrate this uniquely American holiday, today's Americans still know and appreciate their family, friends, and neighbors. We know how fortunate we are to be living in this country. No amount of naysaying can change what grateful Americans know to be true, regardless of the century.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Lifetime Memories

On November 15, 1947, my parents got married. That would make today their 75th wedding anniversary. It's a mind-boggling stretch of time. Perhaps "a lifetime" would be a more accurate description.

Mom and Dad got married five days before Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were wed. I'm the eldest of four children, but although both King Charles and Princess Anne were born before I was, my mother had her fourth child almost two years before the Queen had her fourth baby, Prince Edward.

I remember hearing about the youngest British prince's birth quite vividly. My parents and all four kids were riding in the family station wagon, on our way to visit my grandparents. My youngest brother, a hyperactive toddler, was tethered into his carseat (such as they were in 1964), and Dad had the car radio tuned to the news. The birth of the new prince was announced, with the broadcaster concluding his report with the words, "this is Queen Elizabeth's fourth child."

From the backseat, I saw my mother glance at the radio in surprise, then toss this comment in Dad's direction. "She's just now up to four? Oh, I'm way ahead of her." 

I remember that, child though I was, Mom's remark made me chuckle. The memory of it still does. It was a classic Mom one-liner. She had the proverbial million of them, and almost all had staying power. My siblings and I, now seniors all, can rarely hold a conversation without quoting some pithy saying from Mom. If she and my father were alive today, and if Mom were asked how they had stayed married for so long, she might respond "with the help of God and a couple of cops."

But I'm not sure. As mentioned, she had countless one-liners. Even her ten adult grandchildren quote her with startling regularity. In any given situation, there was no telling what Mom would say next. But it was always safe to bet that it would be memorable.

Dad & Mom ~ November 15, 1947

Gratitude and Regret

Today is the Friday after Election Day, and several states are still counting votes. In the 1860s, when votes were counted by hand, by candlelight, and a nation-wide Civil War was raging, we had results for the entire country by the end of the week.

The lack of voting results is a national disgrace, especially in our age of technology. Our vote processing methods are supposedly far superior to the 19th century. Obviously not.

The early voting, mail-in voting, and vote harvesting allowed in some states are destroying our electoral system. The U.S. Constitution stipulates that we have an Election DAY, "which Day shall be the same throughout the United States." We do not have an election week, month, or season. The opportunities this unconstitutional, drawn-out process presents for errors is incalculable.

Today is also Veterans Day, and yesterday was the 247th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. Our military members did not serve, sacrifice, fight, and die to protect an unconstitutional voting system. They swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution "against all enemies, foreign and domestic." Those enemies include jaded political players manipulating state voting procedures to benefit their preferred party. The delay in vote returns is a direct insult to every American veteran and active military member.

Our veterans are owed more than thanks. They are owed an apology from every district and state still counting votes today. We also owe them a commitment to repair our broken voting system.

Thank you, Veterans