The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
By Shana Jackson, The Quill
When I think of Thanksgiving I think of all the wonderful things God has blessed me with throughout the year.
A wonderful family, good health, my jobs, a nice home, great friends and the list goes on and on.
I also think of the good smells that Thanksgiving day brings to the house from the turkey to the pumpkin pie baking in the oven.
Then a day filled with football games or movies and of course bringing out the Christmas decorations.
Did you know that the first Thanksgiving meal lasted 3 days feeding 53 pilgrims and 90 indians.
Their Thanksgiving dinner consisted of any kind of fowl for meat, boiled pumpkin because they had no ovens for baked pie, no fresh breads due to the low supply of flour, and no cranberry sauce because cranberries had not been introduced at the time.
So their menu consisted of duck, geese, fish, lobster, berries, dried fruit, and veggies. I'm so glad that the menu has changed over the years.
Thanksgiving has been an annual tradition since 1863 here in the US but it didn't become a federal holiday until 1941.
Thanksgiving has always been considered a religious holiday giving thanks to God.
The first thanksgiving was celebrated by giving thanks to God and the Native Americans for helping the Pilgrims survive the harsh winter weather.
When the Pilgrims had arrived on the Mayflower half of them were already dead but many more would have been if it hadn't been for the Indians teaching them how to harvest their food.
So this Thanksgiving take time to remember what Thanksgiving is all about. May everyone have a blessed and safe Holiday.