Mrs. Reeves Writes About Thanksgiving

I'll start this Thanksgiving week post with gratitude to my friend, Jay Reeves, for giving me permission to use a column, written by his mother in The County Record in the early 1960s. During that time, Jay's dad Ernie wrote a regular column for the local paper. But, that week, he asked his wife Jerry, who taught many of you in kindergarten, I'm sure, to write the column for him. Here is Mrs. Reeves' take on Thanksgiving from Jay's 1993 compilation of his dad's columns called, as the column was, Whistling In Dixie.

Jerry Brantley and Ernest Reeves at their wedding in 1953.

Photo courtesy of Jay Reeves

It starts out with with an introduction from Mr. Reeves: "I'm sure that most who read these rantings each week could do a better job than the writer. I asked my wife if she'd like to write the column this week. Our six-year-old, Tom, asked her to write something about Thanksgiving. What follows is her work.

"Tonight when Ernie left the house to go see Psycho at the movie, he jokingly said for me to write his article for the paper this week. So, I thought I'd be a good student and do his homework for him. At least I have something definite to write about––Thanksgiving.

"Children make a holiday seem much more real.

"At kindergarten, we've been coloring turkeys and finding out why we eat turkey at Thanksgiving, coloring butterflies and pasting Bible verses of praise to God in them, and learning that the word Thanksgiving means giving thanks to God for everything he has given us so freely.

"Thanksgiving is one of our American holidays. More than 300 years ago in October 1621, William Bradford, Governor of Plymouth Colony, proclaimed a day of prayer and feasting on which the Pilgrims might give special thanks to God for their blessings. The main dish that day was wild turkey, which the men had killed. I guess that's why so many men go hunting on Thanksgiving day now––just the 'ole pilgrim blood' showing itself. The only difference in the hunting then and now is that the wife brings home the game from the store already dressed and pre-cooked, and the men come home tired and empty-handed (usually, that is.)

"On the first Thanksgiving the Pilgrims gave thanks to God for a chance to live and work in this new land, their new home, which was the real beginning of our U.S.A.

"We are apt to take much for granted today. We accept all the good things that make our lives pleasant, forgetting that life, even in the United States, hasn't always been so easy. Our warm homes, electric lights, running water (especially hot water), radios, and TVs are really quite new. Our grandmothers and grandfathers can tell us how different things were when they were small.

"This Thanksgiving, and every other day, let us give thanks for our loved ones and for all the good things that surround us. We can give thanks to God in any place or in any way that we think best––in family prayers or alone, indoors or out, where God seems quite near with nature all around us––or we can give thanks to Him in the church of our choice. It is important to feel thankful and to express our thanks for His love and protecting care. Prayers can bring us peace of mind––faith in God and appreciation of the worth of each other person are necessary for our own happiness and will help carry on the high purposes that Americans have always held important."

I'm supremely grateful that Ernie and Jerry Reeves were influences in my life, both as a child and as an adult, and that their sons Tom and Jay have been my friends for far more years than any of us care to remember. I'm also grateful to all of you who take the time to read these blog posts each week.  Although I may not respond to all your comments, know that they are always appreciated.