Today is Thanksgiving Day in the United States. I’m spending it in Montreal with friends and family. We’re testing a theory that turkey tastes as good in French as it does in English. I’m sure we won’t be disappointed.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. It is the only holiday that is celebrated by EVERY American. But this year we celebrate during difficult times. And I am reminded of the original Proclamation of Franklin Roosevelt establishing the National Holiday in 1933, during the midst of the depression:

“May we be grateful for the passing of dark days; for the new spirit of dependence one on another; for the closer unity of all parts of our wide land; for the greater friendship between employers and those who toil; for a clearer knowledge by all nations that we seek no conquests and ask only honorable engagements by all peoples to respect the lands and rights of their neighbors; for the brighter day to which we can win through by seeking the help of God in a more unselfish striving for the common bettering of mankind.”

Thanksgiving is about thanks. And it’s about giving. Each of us has something to give — to our families, to our communities, to our countries. Today is a day to ask how we might use those gifts in the coming year.

I invite all of our Canadian friends to celebrate with us that spirit of Thanksgiving.

DJ

Tags: Montreal, Thanksgiving 2011

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 24th, 2011 at 8:34 am and is filed under November 2011. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.