Another Thanksgiving holiday came and went. For me, it was a time of reflection and nostalgia remembering the many Thanksgiving dinners I have enjoyed. But no longer over the hills and through the dell to grandmother’s house we go. Instead, we gathered at my son’s house.
Everything was so beautifully decorated at his country home—a roaring fire in the huge rock fireplace, my 10-year-old granddaughter playing softly on the piano, and the house filled with the smell of all the wonderful food. My lovely, talented and creative daughter-in-law had the formal dining room set with a centerpiece of fresh flowers, laden with delicious food.
Ours was a small gathering of immediate family with 4 guests—3 foster children ages 1, 3 and 8, plus a friend from South Africa who recently became a U.S. citizen. After everyone was seated, my 8 and 10-year-old granddaughters twice said the blessing in unison, first in Latin, then in English. They are home schooled. Despite the fact their main focus of learning is on the English language, they do have some limited instruction in other languages.
I was so grateful for the joy of gathering with my children who were all raised being taught the Philosophy of Freedom and encouraged to express their thoughts. In this connection, we can usually get into some subject of spirited discussion after dinner. And now-a-days with so much going on in this country, there’s no shortage of things to talk about. And I for one felt thankful for the limited semblance of Freedoms we have left.
After eating, the children all went outside to run and play. On the swing and up and down the slide, they giggled and ran and played with each other, having a great time. The 3 foster children were delightful to watch as they joined in the games having fun.
I sat in front of the fireplace thinking about other Thanksgiving holidays. Growing up in the country during the Depression, we always had plenty to eat and on holidays the table was laden with food, while all the grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins gathered to enjoy the day and each other. There were no swing sets to play on, but the front lawn was filled with large bales of cotton we climbed, hid and jumped on. Then the family would gather on the large wraparound front porch while the grown-ups discussed current events—politics, the state of the economy, what President Roosevelt was doing and saying, and all the events and happenings we knew about from the radio and newspaper.
Everyone was interested in what was going on in this country. No one was interested in going shopping for the after-Thanksgiving sales because there was little cash money. However, we had plenty of the things we needed, mostly grown on the farm. Those things not grown on the farm were purchased when the cotton crop was sold, and by some of the aunts and uncles who worked in the local cotton mills. Some family members went to the adjoining county of Oconee to the town of Athens every week to sell produce at the “curb market.” Things like eggs, handmade soap, peanuts, apples, berries and vegetables, plus handmade crafts like pillow cases, quilts, dish towels, among other items, which were made on the farm for cash to buy the necessities needed not grown on the farm like sugar, salt, coffee, cocoa, spices, etc.
We would read about the soup lines in large cities, the poverty stricken lives of so many during the Great Depression. Looking back, I realize how fortunate I was to have a hard-working, self-sustaining and frugal family. As children we were frequently told “waste not, want not.” Comparing it with today’s lifestyles of so many who waste so much living in this throw away society, it’s no wonder to me there’s moaning and groaning about the things now in limited supply.
My observation is that nature provides what we need or provides the means to create it. Nevertheless, in the world of nature there’s no waste, but a purpose in the natural order of things. Those areas that appear to be waste or destruction are acts of recycling, reconstruction and rebuilding. There is a purpose in the whole of things. Destruction is not necessarily waste.
Chopping down a tree to burn for heat is not waste. Piling one’s plate with food, eating part of it and then throwing the rest in the garbage, is waste. Mowing down a field of wheat to harvest the grain is destruction, but not waste. Throwing a half loaf of bread in the garbage is waste.
I for one have a great deal to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season. I’m particularly thankful for any bit of Freedom I still have and mourn the loss of a large portion of it. If “we the people” in this great country have any chance of turning the tide of the direction of socialism we are fast heading, we’re going to have to stop and take stock of what we have individually, what we once had, and the peril of individual Freedom and private property rights we now face.
From Liberty Quotes by P.J. O’Rouke: “If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it cost when it’s free.”
To that, I paraphrase and say, “If you think 90 percent tax cuts will increase your money supply, wait until you receive the bill for the price you will pay.”
Let Freedom Ring!
From “The Freedom Lady.”
JUST ME,
AC
