Wednesday, November 26, 2008

True Thanksgiving

My first Thanksgiving was introduce by my husband way way back in Burma. I have no idea when he said "I need a Turkey for my Thanksgiving Dinner." I will tell you without pretending, I asked myself, " What he needs to thank this Turkey for?". We found a live turkey at the Karen township and I remembered we carried that noisy turkey all the way back to Robins's home. It was one week a head of Thanksgiving so Robins need to fed the big bird at his home. One day before Thanksgiving, I went to see Robins and the turkey was living with full of his own TARs and lost my appetite because of the smell.

At that time Robins was not a good cook so the turkey came out over firm and not easy to break with my teeth! I think I fell in love with him on that day.

Now 17 year of being Mrs. Robins, I know the true meaning of Thanksgiving. Robins also become a very good cook especial in turkey meal. My son used to say "Happy Turkey Day!. I will close this with my prayer....

"Dear God,

I am so Thankful for those who make this Thanksgiving Day. I have so much to thank for. I thank you for I am still with my love ones...my husband, my son, my grand mama, my relative and my friends. I thank you for the food that you provide us. I thank you for my health, the medicine that I take and you make it work in me. I thank you for the doctors and nurses. I thank you for Donor families. I thank you for been with me when I was so down. I thank you for with me when I am ugly sometime so ugly. I thank you for the peace, the patience, kindness, love and thoughtfulness that you teach me. Thank you for let me know that forgiveness and love are the best medicines also.

Lord, you the only one knows each person's mind including my mind. I need you lord. Please walks with me and give me the wisdom to deal with my daily life.

I Thank you so much for choosing me to be one of your children. Thank you my God. Amen"......


The First Thanksgiving in 1621

The real meaning of ThanksgivingPosted: November 22, 20011:00 am EasternBy Joseph Farah© 2008 WorldNetDaily.com

There are many myths and misconceptions surrounding the people responsible for the American Thanksgiving tradition. Contrary to popular opinion, the Pilgrims didn't wear buckles on their shoes or hats. They weren't teetotalers, either. They smoked tobacco and drank beer. And, most importantly, their first harvest festival and subsequent "thanksgivings" weren't held to thank the local natives for saving their lives.


Do you know there are public schools in America today actually teaching that? Some textbooks, in their discomfort with open discussions of Christianity, say as much. I dare suggest most parents today know little more about this history than their children.

Yet, there is no way to divorce the spiritual from the celebration of Thanksgiving – at least not the way the Pilgrims envisioned it, a tradition dating back to the ancient Hebrews and their feasts of Succoth and Passover.The Pilgrims came to America for one reason – to form a separate community in which they could worship God as they saw fit. They had fled England because King James I was persecuting those who did not recognize the Church of England's absolute civil and spiritual authority.

On the two-month journey of 1620, William Bradford and the other elders wrote an extraordinary charter – the Mayflower Compact. Why was it extraordinary? Because it established just and equal laws for all members of their new community – believers and non-believers alike. Where did they get such revolutionary ideas? From the Bible, of course.

When the Pilgrims landed in the New World, they found a cold, rocky, barren, desolate wilderness. There were no friends to greet them, Bradford wrote. No houses to shelter them. No inns where they could refresh themselves. During the first winter, half the Pilgrims died of sickness or exposure – including Bradford's wife. Though life improved for the Pilgrims when spring came, they did not really prosper. Why? Once again, the textbooks don't tell the story, but Bradford's own journal does. The reason they didn't succeed initially is because they were practicing an early form of socialism.

The original contract the Pilgrims had with their merchant-sponsors in London called for everything they produced to go into a common store. Each member of the community was entitled to one common share. All of the land they cleared and the houses they built belonged to the community. Bradford, as governor, recognized the inherent problem with this collectivist system.

"The experience that was had in this common course and condition, tried sundry years ... that by taking away property, and bringing community into common wealth, would make them happy and flourishing – as if they were wiser than God," Bradford wrote. "For this community [so far as it was] was found to breed much confusion and discontent, and retard much employment that would have been to their benefit and comfort. For young men that were most able and fit for labor and service did repine that they should spend their time and strength to work for other men's wives and children without any recompense ... that was thought injustice."

What a surprise! Even back then people did not want to work without incentive. Bradford decided to assign a plot of land to each family to work and manage, thus turning loose the power of free enterprise. What was the result?"This had very good success," wrote Bradford, "for it made all hands industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been."

As a result, the Pilgrims soon found they had more food than they could eat themselves. They set up trading posts and exchanged goods with the Indians. The profits allowed them to pay off their debts to the merchants in London much faster than expected. The success of the Plymouth colony thus attracted more Europeans and set off what we call the "Great Puritan Migration."

But it wasn't just an economic system that allowed the Pilgrims to prosper. It was their devotion to God and His laws. And that's what Thanksgiving is really all about. The Pilgrims recognized that everything we have is a gift from God – even our sorrows. Their Thanksgiving tradition was established to honor God and thank Him for His blessings and His grace.

Today we continue that tradition in my home – and I hope in yours. God bless you, God bless America, and Happy Thanksgiving.

7 comments:

Helen said...

I deleted someone comment which is not appropriate. Maria, sweety if you want to advertise your sex photos, you better create your own blog. I maintain my blog as no insulting, no lower class talk,no be little other people nor no insulting to God.

I do not know you. I respect your freedom but use your freedom within limit. I have seem so much self arrogance blogs but not in my blog. Thank you!

Anonymous said...

Helen, your Thanksgiving letter and prayer were both from the heart and beautiful. Your faith and trust in God is contagious. Thank you. I, too, have much to be thankful for. I had Bill as a husband for 61 years and as a friend for 66 years. What a wonderful friend, husband, father, lover, grandfather!!! Now his days are numbered to a few. His loss will be excruciating for me. Our son, Mike, is here for the holidays. He and I are invited to Joe and Lucille Little's house for dinner tomorrow for dinner. It will just be the four of us which pleases me. Several other friends invited us for dinner tomorrow but they were having family reunions with many guests and I didn't think that would be good for me just now.

Happy, blessed Thanksgiving to you, Robin, and Shan.

Helen said...

Dear Anonymous,

When I read your Thanksgiving note, I had tear with happy inside. You have so much to thank for. Sure your children are so poud of you as well. You are a good mother, you produce so much talented children, grand children who are kind and down to earth also. I thanks for your true fiendship to me. I miss my tea party with you!

Anonymous said...

Hola Robins, Helen y Shan,

David, Pope y Derek (penelopedrennan@yahoo.com) ha elegido una tarjeta
para ti, en TuParada.

Para verla simplemente haz click aquĆ­:
http://www.tuparada.com/g/?id=0NNN109693910C5W6

Helen said...

Hola David, Poppe y Derick,

Mucha gracia por un tarjeta de te. Happy Thanksgiving por usted t
bien. Donde usted? De Panama y De Equardo?

Ok una beju para tu, Poppe.

Hope to see you in Jackonville in future.

Anonymous said...

Happy thanksgiving also to you. And thank you also for last sunday,were very happy i love u too god bless u always. Jessie

Helen said...

Dear Jessie,

Thank you and I love you too. Yes, we did have a good time don't we. The 50th Anniversary of CBC turned out real blessing.

I admire your kindness, your smile to eveyone, the help that you offer to all without condition, and the fairness.