Google will tell you that the Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday celebrated in Canada and the United States as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year. But the idea of thanksgiving , looks like, that is associated with more than just turkeys, turkey dinners, cranberries, candied yams, mashed potatoes, stuffing, pumpkin pie, Cajun Turkey With Dirty-Rice Stuffing, Broccoli With Dijon Vinaigrette, Sun-Dried Tomato Semolina Biscuits, Pumpkin-Streusel Cheesecake, Lentils with Carrots, Braised Celeriac(for veggies), or basically all this yummy competition around us suggesting which food should be on the table. To my mind, as a yearly celebration it could be more than just “let’s have some food mom!”
In the days when fear and anger are frequently found in everyone’s heart, sitting around a table full of food is just not the optimal solution for our lives.
I mean by looking at the events which have taken place in the last two weeks (also those that I mentioned in my previous articles)like , the continuing Paris attacks and terror campaign, the ISIS growing wilder, refugee crisis, world on the verge of WW3, dysfunctional political parties giving people lies, police brutalities, Israelis killing Palestinians, maybe we must act differently this time by bringing in people from all different backgrounds from all religions or ethnicities around the table only to unite around this holiday if we want to be called the “United States of America”.
We should practice this time to share our deepest feelings with almost everyone living in the US from legal immigrants to refugees seeking shelter while escaping persecution from their war-torn, ISIS-hit countries around the world instead of listening to thanksgiving tips or just baking chewy or crispy candies for the family. Reverse that trend and opt to make a difference this time for there’s only us who can make things work our way, as America is the land of the “free” and the home of the “brave.
Invite them to our houses so they can stay there so that they can feel the warmth of their homes once again. That would be a blessed event for this year. As Americans, we are taught to be kind to each other in times of war and fear.
Personally, I made a decision. I have a Muslim family joining us for Thanksgiving. It wasn’t a deliberate political decision. Thanksgiving seemed like a good opportunity. Also, we can only do it once a year. They can turn it out every day. We invited them some time ago, before the events in Paris, before. We invited them because they had no other place to go for Thanksgiving. As immigrants we understand that feeling of dislocation, that desire to belong.
Find your true selves and do not buy into the mass fear or anger hysteria.
Links:
1-http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-al-sharpton/invite-a-muslim-to-thanks_b_8629836.html
2-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving
3-http://www.seriouseats.com/thanksgiving
