Fausta's Blog

American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture

December 1, 2015 By Fausta

Forum: What Are Your Thoughts This Thanksgiving?

At the Watchers’ Council,

Every week on Monday, the Council and our invited guests weigh in at the Watcher’s Forum, short takes on a major issue of the day, the culture, or daily living. This week’s question:What Are Your Thoughts This Thanksgiving?

 Fausta’s Blog : Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.

It is, as Mark Steyn says,

“…very small scale, very modest, very intimate, very American, and absolutely gets to the key of things, which is thanking God for the blessings of this great land.”

Thanksgiving is wonderful in its flexibility:

You can celebrate Thanksgiving cooking and serving at the local soup kitchen, at a restaurant, at home, with your friends, with family, hosting exchange students or other newcomers. You can do the traditional menu, and you can do ethnic dishes; do all the cooking or do pot-luck. You may get all of your family members and your friends helping you, or you may do all the work yourself. You may add other celebrations – birthdays, engagements, anniversaries, even Christmas – if your guests are traveling from far away. You may really dress up for a formal table, or you may have a casual dinner outdoors (as we did this year). Better yet, you can do a combination of all of the above, alternate, make every year different, which I really enjoy. Thanksgiving is about creativity, hospitality, flexibility, warmth.

Indeed, Thanksgiving is a sample of our country’s best values.

As for the politicizing of Thanksgiving, I’m all for the simplest, most direct approach. Because that’s another good thing about Thanksgiving: to learn that one earns a place at the grown-up table.

The Glittering Eye : I’ll delegate my response to Nurse Eye Roll:

It’s that time of year where everyone starts to think of things they’re thankful for and talks about them on social media. Nurses however… we are a different bunch. Every time we go into work, we are thankful. It doesn’t take the month of November to inspire this.

We are not thankful for our massive salaries or bonuses. We are not thankful for predictable jobs where we are guaranteed to finish an entire cup of coffee or get at least two bathroom breaks. We are not thankful for having every holiday off with our families. When nurses think about what they are thankful for, our list looks very different than most peoples’…


We are thankful that we are able to walk, talk, and breathe on our own. We have seen exactly what it looks like when someone suddenly loses those abilities. We have seen the tears stream down patient’s faces, as they are unable to verbalize their feelings. They let their tears fall for their nurses because they don’t want their families to see them struggling.

We are thankful we have jobs with sick time. We see patient after patient come in jobless that has waited until the very last second to come in to have their ailment treated because they cannot afford to pay anything or take time away from work. They wait and pray at home for things to just go away as they become exponentially worse. The man with the pain in his foot three months ago is now having it amputated. The woman with untreated diabetes whose vision was getting blurry earlier this year is now blind. The young mother of four with a respiratory infection that she hoped would go away on its own because she couldn’t take any time off… who is now intubated and sedated in the ICU, in acute respiratory distress syndrome… whose fingers and toes are starting to turn blue and purple from all of the medications she’s getting just to keep her blood pressure up… who is now a DNR.

Read the whole thing. I thought it put matters into a bit of perspective.

Laura Rambeau Lee,Right Reason : With family members working varied schedules we celebrate our Thanksgiving differently every year. We take turns hosting and everyone chips in bringing a favorite dish so no one is stressed or overworked. We enjoy the customary dishes of roasted and/or fried turkey, sweet potato casserole, stuffing, mashed potatoes and various vegetables and casseroles, along with the requisite pumpkin, pecan, and apple pies.

What struck me more this year, not just within my extended family but in the wider community, was the overall sense of everyone just going through the motions. We seem to have lost the feelings of thankfulness and celebration usually felt at this time of year.

What was once a joyful festivity celebrating the pilgrims’ first year in the new world and the promise of a better future has turned into debates over the countless sins and transgressions this country has brought to the world. The left and the media want us to be ashamed we are Americans. Black Friday deals and protests were more important topics of discussion and news reports than remembering why we celebrate Thanksgiving.

From my perspective there is an overall sense of anxiety among the people; a sense of uncertainty. People aren’t excited or hopeful anymore nor are we permitted to take pride in being “Americans.” The left is succeeding in tearing down the traditions that have united us as Americans. It seems since Obama has become president we got the change he promised, but are losing the hope.

Well, there you have it.

Make sure to tune in every Monday for the Watcher’s Forum. And remember, every Wednesday, the Council has its weekly contest with the members nominating two posts each, one written by themselves and one written by someone from outside the group for consideration by the whole Council. The votes are cast by the Council, and the results are posted on Friday morning.

It’s a weekly magazine of some of the best stuff written in the blogosphere, andyou won’t want to miss it.

And don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter..’cause we’re cool like that, y’know?

Share

Filed Under: bloggers Tagged With: Fausta' blog, Thanksgiving Day, Watchers Council

Tweets by @Fausta
retirees_raise-2015_300x250

Pages

  • About
  • Email

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Previous Posts

  • Mrs. Maisel goes full Alinsky on Mrs. Schlafly
  • Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?
  • You need to unfriend me
  • Go ahead and Kiss the Girl, if you dare
  • Ashamed

Recent Comments

  • John on Mrs. Maisel goes full Alinsky on Mrs. Schlafly
  • Today’s hot topics: Democrats’ collusion shift, tax-return rift, Venezuela drift, and more! – PoliticalWitchDoctor.com on Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?
  • Today’s hot topics: Democrats’ collusion shift, tax-return rift, Venezuela drift, and more! - AmericanTruthToday on Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?
  • Did Venezuela’s Minister of Defense Back Out At The Last Minute? on Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?
  • Roseanne Not Back, Khan not Invited, Operaman’s back, Jobs back, Fausta’s back (but not here yet) Thoughts under the fedora – Da Tech Guy Blog on Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?

Archives

  • 2019
    • December 2019
    • May 2019
    • January 2019
  • 2018
    • December 2018
    • October 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
  • 2017
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
    • August 2017
    • July 2017
    • June 2017
    • May 2017
    • April 2017
    • March 2017
    • February 2017
    • January 2017
  • 2016
    • December 2016
    • November 2016
    • October 2016
    • September 2016
    • August 2016
    • July 2016
    • June 2016
    • May 2016
    • April 2016
    • March 2016
    • February 2016
    • January 2016
  • 2015
    • December 2015
    • November 2015
    • October 2015
    • September 2015
    • August 2015
    • July 2015
    • June 2015
    • May 2015
    • April 2015
    • March 2015
    • February 2015
    • January 2015
  • 2014
    • December 2014
    • November 2014
    • October 2014
    • September 2014
    • August 2014
    • July 2014
    • June 2014
    • May 2014
    • April 2014
    • March 2014
    • February 2014
    • January 2014
  • 2013
    • December 2013
    • November 2013
    • October 2013
    • September 2013
    • August 2013
    • July 2013
    • June 2013
    • May 2013
    • April 2013
    • March 2013
    • February 2013
    • January 2013
  • 2012
    • December 2012
    • November 2012
    • October 2012
    • September 2012
    • August 2012
    • July 2012
    • June 2012
    • May 2012
    • April 2012
    • March 2012
    • February 2012
    • January 2012
  • 2011
    • December 2011
    • November 2011
    • October 2011
    • September 2011
    • August 2011
    • July 2011
    • June 2011
    • May 2011
    • April 2011
    • March 2011
    • February 2011
    • January 2011
  • 2010
    • December 2010
    • November 2010
    • October 2010
    • September 2010
    • August 2010
    • July 2010
    • June 2010
    • May 2010
    • April 2010
    • March 2010
    • February 2010
    • January 2010
  • 2009
    • December 2009
    • November 2009
    • October 2009
    • September 2009
    • August 2009
    • July 2009
    • June 2009
    • May 2009
    • April 2009
    • March 2009
    • February 2009
    • January 2009
  • 2008
    • December 2008
    • November 2008
    • October 2008
    • September 2008
    • August 2008
    • July 2008
    • June 2008
    • May 2008
    • April 2008
    • March 2008
    • February 2008
    • January 2008
  • 2007
    • December 2007
    • November 2007
    • October 2007
    • September 2007
    • August 2007
    • July 2007
    • June 2007
    • May 2007
    • April 2007
    • March 2007
    • February 2007
    • January 2007
  • 2006
    • December 2006
    • November 2006
    • October 2006
    • September 2006
    • August 2006
    • July 2006
    • June 2006
    • May 2006
    • April 2006
    • March 2006
    • February 2006
    • January 2006
  • 2005
    • December 2005
    • November 2005
    • October 2005
    • September 2005
    • August 2005
    • July 2005
    • June 2005
    • May 2005
    • April 2005
    • March 2005
    • February 2005
    • January 2005
  • 2004
    • December 2004
    • November 2004
    • October 2004
    • September 2004
    • August 2004
    • July 2004
    • June 2004
    • May 2004
    • April 2004
    • March 2004
Content Copyright Fausta's Blog

Site Developed and Managed by 300m.com