To me, Thanksgiving is the quintessential holiday for understanding what makes the American people so great.This is the day we celebrate our history and our humble beginnings. It is the day we remember that our country of 300 million started as a “country” of less than 50 Pilgrims struggling in the woods in winter (see below). It is the day we recognize how the decisions of the past have led to the abundance of the present and it reminds us that we must strive to improve our futures and our children's futures. It is the day that reminds us that we all came from somewhere else, but now we are united together as one nation. And it is the day to renew our relationships with our friends and our families. Indeed, it is the day to be thankful for everything we have, because it was the labor, the wisdom, and the goodwill of our families, our friends, our neighbors, our countrymen, and our forbearers that made it so.
So as we prepare to take a few days off at Commentarama, tell us what you are thankful for! Happy Thanksgiving!
You summed it up pretty nicely, Andrew!
ReplyDeleteI'm thankful for my family, loved ones, and the many opportunities I have in my life.
Happy Thanksgiving all around!
I am thankful for God's mercy in my life, for my family, friends and fellow Americans, for those who actually read my site (!) and for pie.
ReplyDeleteI pray everyone a safe and blessed holiday. Happy Thanksgiving from Texas!
Thanks Crispy! Happy Thanksgiving to you too.
ReplyDeleteI'm thankful for my family and friends too. I couldn't ask for more there!
I'm thankful too to have grown up in such a great place and time.
And I'm thankful so many people enjoy our blog and keep visiting us and sharing their thoughts!
Patti, Great list to be thankful for! I can't even express how thankful I am for our great country!
ReplyDeleteAnd of course, how can you not be thankful for pie! Mmmmmmm.
Happy Thanksgiving Patti!
Politically, I am thankful for Obama coming along as he did. Without him, we would be heading straight for a socialist state that would be far harder to stop.
ReplyDeleteFamily, I am thankful for my family both the west coast ones and the ones here in Tennessee.
Intellectually, I am thankful for Commentarama for challenging and expanding my thoughts.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
Joel, Thanks! That's the coolest compliment I think we've ever gotten! And I'm glad we've given you something to think about. :-)
ReplyDeleteI agree entirely about being thankful for Obama. He and Pelosi have single-handedly revived conservatism, which had fallen into a funk, and they utterly disgraced liberalism/socialism. Moreover, as we said in the other thread, I am thankful that McCain did not win, because he would have reached across the aisle and done everything Pelosi wanted. . . and conservatism would have been wrongly blamed for massive deficit spending, socializing medicine, socializing banks, bailing out huge corporations and who knows what else.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I am thankful for all that has been given; above all my time upon this earth.
ReplyDeleteTennessee: I'm thankful for the moving van that got me and my belongings from San Francisco to Caliente. It means that neither of my daughters nor any of my grandkids have to travel any great distance for the Thanksgiving family dinner.
ReplyDeleteJed, Well said. I too have thoroughly enjoyed my time too!
ReplyDeleteLawhawk, Moving vans often bring good things!
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving to everyone, again!
ReplyDeleteI think you said you'd be taking a few days off, right? When did you say you'd be back?
Thanks DUQ and Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
ReplyDeleteI'm taking off until Sunday.... on a much needed break to let my mind rest. I'm thinking of taking it in for a refit. Lawhawk will be back Saturday.
Well stated Andrew.
ReplyDeleteThere is such an abundance of things for Americans to be thankful for, and I don't mean objects. The list must include our families as they extend and of course our friends are first in line. However the folks who go to far away places and place themselves in harms way need to be in that list as well. The public safety people right here at home must not be forgotten either. All of you in the Commentarama family are special as well and I also appreciate you all beyond words.
Have a Very Happy Thanksgiving.
Thanks, Andrew. I hate to think I'm missing something while I'm gone. Enjoy your break! You guys certainly have earned it.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tom, and we appreciate everyone who comes and comments -- our efamily! :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd you're absolutely right, there is such an abundance of great things in and about America that we could go on for days making the list. But one of the most important things on the list are the people who are willing to sacrifice and to put themselves in harm's way to keep America safe and free.
Happy Thanksgiving!
DUQ, LOL! Feel free to obsessively check the site every few minutes! ;-)
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteVery nice! I am thankful for being an American, for my family, for this great city I live in (even if our Senator is a disgrace), and for all the great people in my life. Also, thanks for all the work you do at Commentarama, it's a joy to come read every day.
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving!
You pretty much covered it buddy, it is indeed great to be American.
ReplyDeleteHappy Turkey Day!
Thanks Ponderosa, Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Ed! Thanks for all the comments.
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving!
Thanks Stan! I love being an American. Happy Turkey Day!
ReplyDeleteAside from being thankful for the big things like family, faith, friends, and freedom, I cherish the little things too. I'm also very thankful for the US Military and hopeful that those who serve, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan, come home safely and soon.
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving, everybody! Have a safe weekend!
No problem, I love speaking my mind!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Andrew!
ReplyDeleteI'm thankful for all the usual things--family, friends, health, security, living in a divinely blessed awesomest country in the world--but also this. I was at my hometown's basketball tournament this and the past two nights, which is why I'm so tardy, just cutting up and chewing the fat with old friends of mine from high school. Thinking about it just now, I realized how lucky I am to have an anchor in my life that I can come back to, that allows me to just shut off the rest of the world for a while and enjoy that small-town living. Not everyone gets to experience that, and I'm grateful I do.
Hopefully everyone else here has some kind of community connection like that. Whether you do or not, Happy Thanksgiving, and remember that you always have something to be thankful for.
I think everyone has about covered all my thankfuls. I am also thankful that I get to cook for my family. Food equals love!
ReplyDeleteFor those American History buffs, here is a link to the first Thanksgiving Proclamation from G. Washington...
http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/firsts/thanksgiving/thankstext.html
And finally, I am thankful that I am associated with some very smart people - Commentarama-ians!!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!
Writer X, Excellent list! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteEd, And we're happy to have people speak their minds! LOL!
ReplyDeleteThanks T_Rav!
ReplyDeleteI think you're right that everyone needs an anchor of that sort. That's what connects you to the things that are truly important in our lives and it gives you perspective. It's important to pay attention to the world as a whole, but the things that affect us the most are the things that are closest to our daily lives -- our friends, family and neighbors.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Food equals love! Great formula! :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm thankful too for what Commentarama has become. It's been a great ride and I think we've gotten to the point where we have a great audience with great thoughts and very interesting things to say. It's made this a lot of fun!
Happy Thanksgiving!