Quitcherbitchin

My wife sent me to the video store this week to pick up a movie for her students. She wanted Squanto or Pocahontas; neither was available. This prompted a search for another Pilgrim or Thanksgiving themed film, a task which proved more daunting than I would have imagined. One helpful employee and I looked for about half an hour to find only one purely Thanksgiving movie (Alvin and the Chipmunks – it was out.) Christmas movies abound; Halloween and even Easter were well represented, but not Thanksgiving. (Researching this article I did find a top ten list of Thanksgiving movies.)

I was reminded of something I heard on the radio a while ago: Thanksgiving is the one holiday that has not been commercialized to death. Granted, it is used as the launching pad for the largest, most tawdry commercialization of all: Christmas shopping. But the day itself has remained fairly well insulated from the marketers and still centers around home and family for most who recognize it at all. Contrary to popular myth, the tradition does not stem directly from the “First Thanksgiving” we see pictured with Pilgrims and Indians sharing their bounty. The idea of a day to give thanks was first mentioned in 1789 by President Washington, but not made an annual remembrance until President Lincoln in 1863, and not made permanent until 1941 when the US Congress made it official. (See ChristianAnswers.net)

I wonder if this one holiday has remained more or less pure because to be truly thankful requires a dose of humility. One must humble oneself to admit that a debt is owed to another. Humility’s wicked step sister, humiliation, is so ill considered that most people avoid humility as they would a coughing, red-eyed street person. It is awkward to embrace, after all; to claim to have it is to prove you do not. Imagine someone saying, “Humility is one of my greatest strengths.”

It seems to me that the three hundred million of us fortunate enough to live in America have quite a bit to be thankful for. Despite the clamor over illegal phone taps and invasive body scans, we have not had a major terrorist attack in this country since 2001. Ignore the hyperbole which denigrates our health system and you find some of the best care in the world (available even to the indigent, contrary to the reformer’s cries.) While unemployment is a serious matter and foreclosures are more frequent than usual, neither starvation nor homelessness stalk our citizens in massive numbers. People gripe about gasoline prices without realizing that much of the developed world pays many multiples more than we do. Then come the police, the firefighters, the school teachers, the highways, the water and sewer systems and more that people regularly complain about, without which life would be substantially poorer. These are all things to be thankful for.

This is not the end of the list of material blessings we enjoy, but more important than any of these to those who follow Christ is the spiritual inheritance which awaits the passing of this material frame. The Apostle Paul recommends that believers give thanks in everything to the God who is responsible for it all. Most encouraging is the knowledge that all of it, even the unpleasant parts, will ultimately redound to the good for those who love God. After the parades, the turkey and the football, remember to be grateful for the important things. Mostly, remember that the most important ones are not things at all.

Words Mean Something

It is likely that I ultimately became an English teacher because my mother (coincidentally born in England) consistently corrected her children's bad grammar. Even though she did not have any post-secondary education, she belonged to a generation which believed that good communication required proper grammar and deliberate word usage.

I have been accused on more than one occasion of being a semanticist, and if I do tend to read more into words than the average Joe (or Josephine,) I do not consider it to be a character flaw. I am as guilty as anyone of tossing off an ill-considered word now and then. However, I generally try to say what I mean and mean what I say. The recent Fox News book tour interview of George W. Bush has reminded me of his unwavering commitment to do just that in spite of the consequences.

My tendency to be picky about words is what frustrates me so when I hear one of the current crop of Democrats talk about compromise in the context of working on a non-partisan footing with the Republicans. When the Dems accuse the Republicans of partisanship they mean that they won't compromise their principles. What the Dems are really looking for is submission, not compromise. I think it was Pelosi who tipped their hand soon after the 2008 elections when she said "We won; get over it."

Today I heard that Obama has signed an executive order which will, among other things, allow faith-based organizations to display their icons in public access areas. This is a compromise that has been a long time coming. I remember when the cross had to be covered for an Obama visit to a college chapel. I remember the flap over his speech at Notre Dame. Suddenly, our President sees the need to compromise his standards regarding this issue.

The word "disingenuous" is coming to mind frequently these days. It means, "lacking frankness or sincerity." Synonyms are artful, crooked, cunning, deceitful. Notice that I am one step away from saying the "L" word. Making a written accusation that a public figure has lied can elicit a charge of libel. I can say that it will be interesting to watch the Democrats deal with the loss of power in Washington; how much prevarication and back-pedalling will we see, I wonder.

Jesus counsels us to "Let your yes be yes, and your no be no, for whatever is more than these is from the evil one." (Matthew 5:37) It is evil to bend the truth to one's own ends; even telling the truth with the intent to deceive falls under judgment. I hope the new crop of elected representatives we are sending to Washington has learned this lesson. Cynicism leads me to doubt we can expect as much from the folks already entrenched there. It is often the truth behind the joke that makes it so poignant. Question: How can you tell a politician is lying? Answer: His mouth is moving.