Whatever Happened to Thanksgiving?

A time to be thankful, a time for giving thanks.

This time of the year there is so much emphasis on Christmas on television, in the stores, in the ads, that I have been asking my family "Whatever happened to Thanksgiving?".  Even when I was growing up some bemoaned the commercialism of the holiday season.  Now I feel like bemoaning it myself.  I enjoy Christmas.  Really I do, but I would like to wait until December 1st or at least after Thanksgiving to be immersed in that time of the year.

In order to refocus and regroup, I told the children not to sing Christmas carols until December 1st (much like my wise mother once told me).  I also decided to start asking the children every day what they are thankful for.  This is something that we already do occasionally.  Why not focus on it for November?  It is time to pull down my Thanksgiving file from last year full of poems and whatnot for this season.  Time to think on those Bible verses that speak of being thankful.  Time to read about the Pilgrims and think of our blessed heritage and how God provides for us again.

""O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the people." - Psalm 105:1

Flag Day

As I was looking at the calendar, I read aloud that today is Flag Day. Cheez Wiz heard and asked, "What is Flag Day?". Good question. It turns out that Flag Day commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States. That event took place on June 14 by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777.

A funny story concerning one of our earlier presidents reads as follows:

1908, Theodore Roosevelt

On June 14, Theodore Roosevelt was dining outside Philadelphia, when he noticed a man wiping his nose with what he thought was the American Flag. In outrage, Roosevelt picked up a small wooden rod and began to whip the man for "defacing the symbol of America." After about five or six strong whacks, he noticed that the man was not wiping his nose with a flag, but with a blue handkerchief with white stars. Upon realization of this, he apologized to the man, but hit him once more for making him "riled up with national pride."

What do you know about the history of the United States flag?