Well, suffice it to say, things have certainly evolved since the first Thanksgiving
celebration back in 1622. The pilgrims were giving thanks for surviving their
second winter in America. That first winter of 1621 was tough – 46 out of 104
pilgrims died. SO – they were indeed truly thankful that they had survived! They
enjoyed a bountiful harvest, thanks to their new best friend, Squanto (the Indian
who taught them how to survive in the new land) and they were thankful to just
be alive. Nowadays, we are thankful for stretchy pants that allow us to eat
ridiculous amounts of food all day long, back-to-back football games and Black
Friday! Yes, we are very, very spoiled; even the poorest among us has it easier
than those pilgrims who first settled America’s rich, savage land.
Now it took us a while to nail down the fourth Thursday in November as the
official Thanksgiving Day. But with the help of the Retailers Association (oh yes
– even back then commerce had a hand in the evolution of this day! Black
Friday and Cyber Monday may be new terms, but holiday shopping mania has
been around for ages!), and several presidents – George Washington, Abe
Lincoln, and finally Franklin Roosevelt – we now have the Happy Thanksgiving
day we all know and love.
So as you adjust the waistband on your jeggings to better accommodate that
second helping of pecan pie (giving thanks for the invention of elastic and
spandex!), remember to be thankful for all the good things in your life, big and
small. And perhaps you take time to commit a random act of kindness and
giving – you know – the ones you always think about doing, but don’t get around
to as often as you should (anonymous plate of cookies left at the Fire Station,
visit to a rest home, gift card for a Thanksgiving meal to someone in need…).
These are not big things, but they give you a sense of bonding with your fellow
humans, and this is perhaps our greatest gift to be thankful for – our ability to
care about one another. After all, if it was not for Squanto taking time to care
about the first pilgrims, we may never have made it. Now in reflection, he may
have wished he had not cared so well for us, all things considered (!), but the
fact remains that he did care for his fellow human beings and saved them/us.
So the first big THANK YOU occurred back in 1621 – and it continues today –
DeVita sends a big loving and caring THANK YOU out to all our loving and
caring supporters. We could not have survived without you, and we have
flourished because of you. So simply and sincerely – THANK YOU!!!!!
