The challenge topic for today is to write a note to someone. It's also Thanksgiving Day. Let's see if I can make this work.
Dear Dept. of Nance Readers,
Happy Thanksgiving Day. I do hope you are able to celebrate this day in a pleasant and thoughtful way. For those of you who are cooking, it is my most fervent wish that you asked for and received help. I do know that sometimes it's easier to do it yourself than to take the time to explain what you need to be done or how to do it, but no one likes a martyr.
For those of you, like me, who are missing a larger family at your table, thank you for doing your part and for making a sacrifice. If you are missing family members because of a loss, you have my profound sympathies.
President Abraham Lincoln instituted the first American Thanksgiving holiday by proclamation on October 3rd, 1863. The proclamation, while signed by Lincoln, was written entirely by his Secretary of State, William Seward. In it, Americans are urged to express gratitude that despite the civil war fought upon the battlefields, "peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere." He goes on to say that when observing the holiday, citizens should pray that God provide for those left widowed, orphaned, or suffering due to the "civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged" and further request Divine assistance to "heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union."
You can find the Proclamation here. Were it written by Lincoln, it would be less flowery and more clear, but it has some salient points for us even now. As you know, I'm not a believer. I do, however, find it oddly ironic that here in 2020, we may still call upon the Universe? Each Other? our new President? to heal the wounds of the nation and restore it soon to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union.
Happy Thanksgiving, dearest Readers and Friends. I am Thankful for quite a bit this year, and your presence here is among my blessings.
Nance
Thankful for your friendship and your blog. Hope you had a good Thanksgiving and hope that 2021 WILL bring this country together.
ReplyDeleteDee--Same! We did have a pleasant and quiet Thanksgiving, just the two of us. Your wish is mine, and perhaps President Biden is the man for the times as President Lincoln was.
DeleteI am thankful I discovered your blog this year...or you discovered mine. I don't remember which came first.
ReplyDeleteI had a quite day which was fine, given the pandemic. Glad you were staying safe as well.
Jean--I don't remember, either, but it was a happy occurrence either way. I'm glad you had a good day with your Mighty Schnauzer, Levi.
DeleteIt is indeed ironic that this country is again facing a different kind of Civil War. (Also ironic that any war should ever be called 'civil' - someone should remove that part of the definition from the dictionary.) I hope your separate family Thanksgivings all went well! We must count our blessings where we find them. Your blog is certainly one of mine. XXOO
ReplyDeleteOrtizzle--All Thanksgivings were happy and safe ones, from all accounts. Thank you for your continued cheerleading for the Dept. and for our lasting friendship, which I value so, so much. XXOO
DeleteI hope you had a nice Thanksgiving even if it wasn't the norm. I'm thankful for many things, finding your blog and getting to know you is one of them :)
ReplyDeleteMartha--We did, and it was happy and pleasant. Thank you for such kind words. I'm happy to have been found, and glad to say the same about you.
DeleteThank you for doing so much to stop this horrific disease. We stayed home. Thankful for ZOOM for free. We played games with our kids and my sister and had a blast.
ReplyDeletekathy b--Thanks to you as well. We each must do our part if we're to ever get past this. I'm so glad you had a fun and happy virtual family Thanksgiving.
DeleteOur Thanksgiving was a while ago, but since the family and bubble friends are all maintaining their health and sanity, I am giving thanks quite regularly.
ReplyDeleteThere sure was more attention paid to how things were written backmthen.
Mary--Of course; I am neglectful of my Canadian Friends. I'm sorry. I am happy that you and yours are healthy and sane. May they continue to be.
DeleteThe level of discourse and civility in language was much higher then, especially for official government documents, and especially in written English. Speaking and writing in high style was the hallmark of gentility. How sad that it's no longer so. I am speaking for the USA, observing things here, and the infantile vocabulary and discourse of the current squatter in the White House is a perfect example.
Here too. I read an article not long ago that counted the number of times our Prime Minister said 'um' while he was making an announcement or giving a comment. The count was quite high.
DeleteI hope you had a very pleasant Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteSuz--I did, thanks. I'm sure you did!
DeleteI'm thankful for your month of posts! I know you are probably ready for a break, but I hope it has encouraged you to continue to post regularly.
ReplyDeleteMike made a fine feast for us. And we zoomed with a lot of family members, so that was fun.
Bug--Thank you! It is wearing me a bit thin, to be honest. At least I had subjects for each day. That helped immensely. I will try to post more regularly, but not at this breakneck pace, and not right away once November is over.
DeleteI'm glad you had a fine feast and shared time safely with family.