Thankful for Makahiki, Sarah Hale, and Roto-Rooter

(Look for splashes of color on dreary November days. There’s always something to be grateful for if you’ll look for it.)

If one of your Thanksgiving dinner traditions is for everyone around the table to tell what they’re thankful for, in case your favorites are taken before it’s your turn, here are three more.

MAKAHIKI: Long before the Pilgrims, Native Hawaiians celebrated Makahiki, which lasted from November through February.  During this longest thanksgiving in the world, both work and war were forbidden.

(Wikipedia picture of the 4-month thanksgiving Hawaiian Makahiki.)

 

(Sarah Hale ~ more than just author of “Mary Had A Little Lamb”~ Wikipedia picture.)

SARAH HALE (1788-1879): Author of hundreds of poems, including “Mary Had A Little Lamb,” Hale was considered the “Mother of Thanksgiving.”   She convinced President Lincoln to proclaim a national holiday on the last Thursday in November, when harvests were done and elections were over.  She said it would “awaken Americans’ hearts to love of home and country, thankfulness to God, and peace.”

ROTO-ROOTER: This is one of the “practical essentials” to be grateful for after Thanksgiving.  On the true (Stopped Up) Black Friday after Thanksgiving, Roto-Rooter and other major plumbing services are at their busiest, cleaning up sewer problems.

My family wishes your families a warm and wonderful Thanksgiving.  If you’re eager to welcome in the Christmas season, feel free to begin singing “Jingle Bells”…which was originally written as a Thanksgiving song.

Abilene, KS h.s. marching band practices in the streets, a foot-tapping, hand-clapping, musical way to welcome Thanksgiving! (these two pictures and the top one by Marylin Warner)

This Thanksgiving’s special donut at the bakery ~ iced donut filled with pumpkin-spice cream. Yum!

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THE SIGN OF NOBLE SOULS

Things that make me feel grateful.
#1 ~ houses for families of birds.

#2 ~ a deer in the yard…not in the oven
(sorry, hunters)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Mom,

Aesop (Greek storyteller and fabulist, best known for AESOP’S FABLES) wrote: “Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.”

Although Thanksgiving Day was one of your favorite holidays, it didn’t take a holiday filled with family, friends and food for you to be grateful. By your example, you taught me to stop, look, and listen for things to be thankful for, and appreciate anything that made me smile and made the day (and the world) better.  So today, in honor of your thankfulness lesson, I’m sharing some pictures of   things that make me grateful.

Thank you for your noble soul, Mom.  Love, Marylin

(Rainbow photo by Jim Warner; Apple snacks photo by Molly Mosher;  all other photos by Marylin Warner)

(#8, at the bottom: Baby pictures of adults.)

#5 ~ Double Rainbows

# 3 ~ Colorful street trashcan art

#4 ~ Apple Teeth Snacks (peanut butter, marshmallows and
apple slices) made for the kids by your granddaughter, Molly

#6 ~ Chapman, KS schools’ new logo, after the tornado, and after
Notre Dame made them stop using the fighting leprechaun they’d used
since 1967 – way to go, little Irish town!!!

#7 ~ A dachshund visiting the elderly, and getting
happy hugs

HOW TO BUILD A SURVIVOR

Nancy’s favorite family photo, 1995

4 roses: three have already bloomed, one is still in the process
(photo by Marylin Warner ~ a tribute to Joel, Adam, Seth…and Nancy)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do you say to a woman who is fighting breast cancer?  What do you say to a woman when her almost 13-year-old son dies in a plane crash? And when her 11-year-old son dies, too…along with her beloved husband?  What can you possibly say?

In this case, the most meaningful answer is what Nancy Saltzman says to us.

If there is one must-read nonfiction book for you to buy for yourself or to give to those you love this season, it’s the honest, unforgettable, touching and inspiring RADICAL SURVIVOR: One Woman’s Path Through Life, Love, And Uncharted Tragedy. In the book’s 242 pages—with 62 ordinary, wonderful pictures—you are welcomed into the extraordinary lives of the Saltzman and Herzog families. From the first chapter, “How To Build A Survivor,” you share in the joys and sorrows…and the triumph of love, hope and determination.

The author, Dr. Nancy Saltzman, is a treasured voice throughout Colorado, an educator, writer and a strong, loving reminder of what it was–and still is–to be Joel’s wife, the mother of Adam and Seth, and a cancer survivor.

November is Thanksgiving, and it is also American Indian Heritage Month. Chief Seattle wrote: “Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are wound together. All things connect.”

Saltzman’s book gives thanks for years, moments and memories; it also reminds us of the true web connecting us all with what is important, real…and lasting.

Thank you, Nancy, for RADICAL SURVIVOR, and for your kind support of this blog. Last month I read your mother’s letters to you (from your book) to my mother. The web of connection between mother and daughter is strong, as is the strength of the web that even death cannot break.

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RADICAL SURVIVOR by Dr. Nancy Saltzman is available on Amazon. For a signed copy and 2-3 day shipping, go to http://www.nancysaltzman.com

Celebrating the book: Nancy and friends