My late mother had a tradition on Thanksgiving Day of greeting us with a hearty “Happy Bird Day!” Unlike Joy, I didn’t grow up in a Christian home. My father was an atheist and my mother was a religious eclectic who bought into a variety of New Age beliefs before they were recognized as such. For us, Thanksgiving was a day off school, and except for my mother, it was a day off work. Even … Continue reading
Category Archives: Thanksgiving
For those of us in the “good ole USA,” the movement of the clock hand from 11:59 p.m. on Sunday to midnight on Monday changed, not only the date of the day, but the month and year as well. With the tick of the minute hand, the calendar made the transition from 2017 to 2018. Did it have any spiritual significance for the masses who were so committed to their celebration or was it just … Continue reading
This week is our annual national celebration of Thanksgiving, and for some reason my thoughts turned to an ancient song (about a thousand years old) referred to as Dayenu. This Hebrew word’s approximate English translation is “It would have been enough.” Dayenu is traditionally sung or recited at both Orthodox and Messianic Passover celebrations. Although we as a people still celebrate Thanksgiving, it seems that in many ways we have lost the ability to be … Continue reading
As I write this, my children are laid out like cord wood in front of the TV watching what may well be one of the last bastion of Judeo-Christian public sentiment left: The Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Special. I am thankful that ABC hasn’t bowed to what must be considerable pressure to cancel this sorry excuse for cultural appropriation of Native Americans. From Charlie Brown we learn that Squanto was taken as a slave by Englishmen. … Continue reading