Wishing You All A Happy Thanksgiving -- Michelle Monkou

The end-of-year holidays are about the only guaranteed event in the U.S. post-election landscape to promote gratitude, harmony, and hope (IMO). In the month of November, there will be a designated day of Thanksgiving. Regardless of religious or life philosophies, this day has become more of a neutral platform for family and friends to gather, eat, and celebrate and/or reminisce about personal journeys, thus far.

It's a time when families volunteer to work in kitchens to feed the homeless and less fortunate in our society. Supermarkets will have Thanksgiving bags already made so that customers simply pay a small donation on behalf of a family in need. All around us, we will step up as individuals or as members of a group in full display of humility and generosity.

Historians and school plays have credited the first Thanksgiving to pilgrims in 1621, but enough research has shown that earlier "ceremonies" did occur with similar intent.

Thanksgiving facts include:
(Source: http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/history-of-thanksgiving)

• During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress designated one or more days of thanksgiving a year, and in 1789 George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation by the national government of the United States;
• In 1827, the magazine editor and writer Sarah Josepha Hale launched a campaign to establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday. 
• in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln, during the Civil War, request of all Americans to ask God to “commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife” and to “heal the wounds of the nation.” He scheduled Thanksgiving for the final Thursday in November.

On this Thursday, November 24, let's focus on generosity and humility. Let's hold our families and friends that much closer. Let's enjoy the day of watching the Macy's Thanksgiving parade, or enjoying the football game, or laughing over a fun movie. Push pause on social media and the news channels. Live. Love. Laugh.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Michelle Monkou
http://michellemonkou.com