Thanksgiving.....or is it?

Reflecting in advance of Thanksgiving, here is an interesting bit of information on the First Thanksgiving Proclamation. This historic proclamation was issued by George Washington during his first year as President. It sets aside Thursday, November 26 as "A Day of Publick Thanksgiving and Prayer."

The history of that day, of course, dates to the days of the Pilgrims. The Fourth World Documentation Project describes the historic meeting between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag to celebrate three days of thanksgiving. The gathering resulted in a peace and friendship agreement giving the Pilgrims the clearing in the forest where the old Patuxet village once stood to build their new town of Plymouth.

One man's thanksgiving can be another man's lament or is this the law of unintended consequences? With thanks to the Fourth World Documentation Project.

Thank You Veterans!

This week, we will observe Veterans Day, formerly known as Armistice Day. Veterans Day was originally set as a U.S. legal holiday to honor the end of World War I, which officially took place on November 11, 1918. In legislation that was passed in 1938, November 11 was "dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day.'" As such, this new legal holiday honored World War I veterans.

In 1954, after having been through both World War II and the Korean War, the 83rd U.S. Congress -- at the urging of the veterans service organizations -- amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting the word "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation on June 1, 1954, Nov. 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

My heartfelt "Thanks" to all veterans. Let's keep them and all those serving today in our thoughts and prayers!!

Harvard's Gold Bars

A bit more about those elite schools up here in the North East. Today is the graduation for Class 2009 at Harvard, a school widely considered to have the most "gold" and prestige. One thing it does not have a lot of are Gold Bars; as in those of graduating second lieutenants.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the graduating class will include seven (7) newly commissioned officers for our nation's military; four Army and three Marines. As you may know, Harvard does not have an ROTC program and these cadets had to fulfill their military training at MIT. But of these seven brave and dedicated young people, I happen to know one. She is the daughter of a former classmate and squadron mate of mine; a fellow Dutch fighter pilot who now works for American Airlines and his wife, a former USAF nurse. Mark and I both met our future wives at pilot training, in the days when the US Air Force was smart enough to send its newly-minted gold bars serving in the medical corps to a training base in Texas filled with eager young pilots from the US and a handful of European countries. As joint spouse assignments a not the norm between countries, most of these unions either disbanded or resulted in one of the parties enjoying a short military career.

Mark and Karen's daughter was the first-born out of these international weddings and she is the first to graduate from college. We got her graduation announcements a couple of weeks ago in the mail and she is following in a proud tradition of service, being the first to begin her service in the US Army. Pretty neat! But first and foremost, our "thanks" for your commitment to our safety and security. Congratulations, stay safe, and be well!!

And there Twas.....

My friend Cliff blogged about the political correctness of Christmas Trees in one of his recent posts. There is an apparent continuing discourse in Corporate America, as well as in the Halls of Power, about the proper naming convention for a symbol of Christmas cheer -- the good 'ol Tannenbaum. Be that as it may, I was reminded that no one has contemplated renaming the menorah and my Jewish friends seem to be quite happy to help us celebrate the spirit of the season. We eat latkas and they come over for our Christmas brunch and everyone is happy.

In keeping with the season, the overall title of the blog, and my own perverse sense of humor, I decided to do a little investigative work on the American origins of the St. Nick phenomenon, just in case we need to rename him as well. My first source (wikipedia -- is there anyone who does NOT love it!) led me to remember the "TWas the Night Before Christmas."

You can see the connection, right? And it is this poem that is credited with the current concept of Santa and all that goes with it. Is that a good thing? I guess that depends who you ask, but for me, I truly enjoy the spirit and the concept embodied within that poem. It's a little bit about mystery, a little about cheer, a little about wishful thinking, and a little about dedication and commitment. Santa is a working man and not afraid to get his hands dirty (forget about the veiled breaking and entering reference -- that's the mystery part).

For those who prefer a more sober Christian interpretation (i.e., less commercialized), I respect their desire and traditions as well. No need for everyone to celebrate everything the same way, is there? It seems to me that in this season of ice storms, snow storms, and economic turmoil, a little cheer and good will toward all will go a long, long way toward resolving any perceived conflict in the naming rights to a Tree!

Leslie's 50th

For all who'd like to re-live the moments.....