Wealth Biz Buzz

Thanksgiving 2010: November 25

A heartfelt and sincere thank you from KaneCarlton and Wealth Biz Buzz; for without  you, we don’t exist.

Throughout history mankind has celebrated the bountiful harvest with thanksgiving ceremonies.

Before the establishment of formal religions many ancient farmers believed that their crops contained spirits, which caused the crops to grow and die. Many believed that these spirits would be released when the crops were harvested and they had to be destroyed or they would take revenge on the farmers who harvested them. Some of the harvest festivals celebrated the defeat of these spirits.

Harvest festivals and thanksgiving celebrations were held by the ancient Greeks, the Romans, the Hebrews, the Chinese, and the Egyptians.

There is some debate as to when the first Thanksgiving was held in the United States.  Since it was a continuation of celebrating a successful and plentiful harvest, many believe that the Jamestown settlers held the first Thanksgiving in the United States in 1619.

The winter of 1620 was particularly brutal for the Pilgrims in Massachusetts with seven graves dug for every hut that was built.  In 1621, after that hard and devastating first year in the New World the Pilgrim’s fall harvest was very successful and plentiful. There was corn, fruits, vegetables, along with fish, which was packed in salt, and meat that was smoke cured over fires. They found they had enough food to put away for the winter.

The Pilgrims had beaten the odds. They built homes in the wilderness, they raised enough crops to keep them alive during the long coming winter, and they were at peace with their Indian neighbors. Their Governor, William Bradford, proclaimed a day of thanksgiving that was to be shared by all the colonists and the neighboring Native American Indians.

The custom of an annually celebrated thanksgiving, held after the harvest, continued through the years. In the late 1770’s during the American Revolution the Continental Congress suggested a day of national thanksgiving be considered.

In 1817 New York State adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom. By the middle of the 19th century many other states also celebrated a Thanksgiving Day. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln appointed a national day of thanksgiving. Since then each president has issued a Thanksgiving Day proclamation, usually designating the fourth Thursday of each November as the holiday.

It’s sometimes hard to imagine today, with a population that has migrated from an agrarian society to one of multifaceted forms of manufacturing and commerce, how cruel and stark were those early years of the brave settlers.

I just left the supermarket, doing a bit of last minute shopping for our dinner this evening.  All I could ever want, and more importantly, vastly more than I could ever need, was laid out in a spectacular array of plenty for me to pluck without thought.

Before my trip to the grocery, I made my annual pilgrimage into the city to give food and clothing to the homeless, who quietly, voicelessly occupy the parks and subway entrances of our Nation’s Capitol.  In the shadows of our monuments to generations past, we are reminded, more today, than in quite some time, that there is much to be thankful for.

My daughter was surprised by their gratitude; surprised by the spontaneous fist-bump; surprised to hear, “ I can use all you can give”, surprised by the mixture of pride and humility.  She wondered aloud, where did these folks come from and why are they here?  Yet, I could tell it was hard for her to understand that but for the grace of God there go I.

So, yes, there is much to be thankful for.  Perhaps the symbolism of the Turkey (and please, please don’t call it Turkey Day) and all the fixins’ are important reminders of those who laid the groundwork for us to live in this land of plenty.  But, beyond the bounty of the literal harvest, there is the multitude of blessings that we celebrate; living where we do, with the people we love, and all those things we might take for granted, like a warm place to sleep, a good meal, music, theater, laughter…

Karl Fuchs captures it much better than I:

More Than A Day

As Thanksgiving Day rolls around,

It brings up some facts, quite profound.

We may think that we’re poor,

Feel like bums, insecure,

But in truth, our riches astound.

We have friends and family we love;

We have guidance from heaven above.

We have so much more than they sell in a store,

We’re wealthy, when push comes to shove.

So add up your blessings, I say;

Make Thanksgiving last more than a day.

Enjoy what you’ve got;

Realize it’s a lot,

And you’ll make all your cares go away.