Thanksgiving 2024

Reflecting on the Past

Thanksgiving is a time to appreciate the present, reflect on the past, and prepare for the challenges ahead. From the first Thanksgiving onward, this season has symbolized gratitude and readiness as we face the uncertainties of Winter.  I am personally thankful for my health, a loving marriage, two wonderful sons and their families, three impressive grandchildren, and a measure of security. I am grateful to have grown up in the 1940s and 1950s and to have entered adulthood in the 1960s and 1970s—a time of relative equality and forward momentum. Back then, a middle-class income could provide security, affordable healthcare, retirement, and a comfortable lifestyle. 

Over the decades, much of that security has eroded, replaced by a regressive tax structure and staggering income inequality. Today, it seems the rule of oligarchs is being institutionalized and normalized following the most recent election.

But, as always, this is a time to be thankful for what each of us have, and for the parts of our history that have helped get us to this point.  For many of us, this Thanksgiving also calls for preparation—for a long, cold winter that may endure for at least four years. While not a nuclear winter, the fallout from extreme and exclusionary policies will make life even harder for those who are marginalized or struggling to survive.  This group could include anyone who challenges the status quo—even liberals. It may be a winter where many are left out in the cold, finding neither room in the inn nor refuge in the stable.

Now is the time to reflect on our past and the sources of strength that have sustained us: the importance of family and community, the cooperative efforts, the shared songs and stories, and the joy that carried us through cold and threatening times.