Thanksgiving, like most other times of religious observance, is a good time to look back on our lives and remember the traditions which set the pattern for our unique celebration, for Thanksgiving Day belongs to Americans as a family.

It is a joyous time and we feast as did those early forefathers. At a meeting recently, I heard two women discussing the price of turkeys at our local grocery store. Some of my favorite things along the food line are cranberry sauce, Waldorf salad, and the pecan and pumpkin pies.

Benjamin Franklin is said to have written, in a letter to a friend, that he would like to return from his grave in about 100 years and have “a little look around.” What would he see happening in the republic he helped found? If he were to follow the special Thursday in November, he might be surprised at the degree to which the roasted turkeys outnumber the worshipers at church service. Also, he would see a horde of Americans watching a football game.

Looking back on my growing up years, Thanksgiving activities were a big thing in school. The school rooms were elaborately decorated with Thanksgiving motif, the wall of each room would be decorated with overripe pumpkins and scrawny, anemic turkeys. In boxes and bags were a respectable pile of food and sacks of fruit and vegetables, our parents’ thanksgiving offering. There was no United Way then, nor the annual Community Service and Thanksgiving Baskets to be picked up by the less fortunate in the town. There was always a school assembly. Each class had a part in this huge program.

Many organizations in our local communities work this time of year collecting non-perishable food items for holiday baskets and Blessing Boxes.