Teaching in a reputable Christian college, I was shocked 15 years ago to find that many students did not know the origins of this favorite holiday. To them the words Thanksgiving and Turkey Day were interchangeable. It was a day for good food, family time, and football. They vaguely knew that committed Protestants had sailed to the new world for religious freedom but hadn’t connected that first thanks-giving time thanking God for survival with the special day we enjoy now. Most of those students had attended Christian high schools and still missed the background.
Thanksgiving is meant to be much more than Turkey Day. I don’t personally dislike turkeys. I love seeing the population of wild ones increase in places I frequent in Minnesota and Wisconsin and like them fine on my plate. I’m as happy as anyone when one receives a presidential pardon—this year’s contenders are Peanut Butter and Jelly. Both
will escape being on Thanksgiving tables, but only one will become our official Thanksgiving turkey.
Ben Franklin recommended that our young republic adopt the turkey as our national bird but that handsome mostly ground fowl got fewer votes than the more majestic, far-seeing, high-soaring ruler of our skies.
I’m not sure why troublesome people are often called turkeys. Or why we connect eagles with more outstanding and inspiring qualities. I would never consider eating one.
What about you? As you enjoy Thursday’s feast which may include meats other than turkey, what does the day mean to you? What are you thankful for? Is there another fowl you’d rather see honored as our national bird. Or another animal entirely?
I still want my grandchildren and their grandchildren to know that people crossed an ocean on a leaky ship to pay a steep price for freedom. I’m thankful to live in freedom in the breathtaking, fruitful nation they established with hardship.
What heritage do you want to preserve and pass on? How can we do that not just on Thanksgiving but every day of the year?
Have a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving! (and every day).
The photos above are of thriving turkeys in Wisconsin and Louisiana. No birds were harmed in the taking of these pictures.
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