Thanksgiving

Well, the meal--non-traditional though it was--was great. So was having our family here. I think it's going to make us that much more homesick when they leave. I still haven't heard from the church in Pensacola that I emailed. I'm hoping that's just because of the holiday. I'll call if I don't hear from them by mid week next week.

I guess some gratuitous ramblings about the meaning of Thanksgiving is in order. I kind of hate that sort of stuff, though. It always seems so canned and predictable. I am truly thankful for what I have--great family, good job, friends. I even like my stuff, although I try not to be tied up in it. One thing I often think about is how we as Anglos look at the holiday as a celebration of our coming into this country--our coming to posses the land and build such an empire. We think of it as a recreation of the fellowship the pilgrims had with the Native Americans they met so many centuries ago. I don't think the Native Americans quite see it that way. It wasn't long after that first celebration that the long and bloody process of stealing the land from them through genocide began. I realize that this is a story that is repeated often throughout world history in many countries on many continents. Of course, just because a thing is common doesn't make it OK.

I guess, more than anything, I look at this and think of our hypocrisy when dealing with the immigrants today. We look down our noses at them and want them to leave. We consider them less than ourselves. States have even passed laws that make it illegal for churches to help them with the most basic of their needs. I understand that some control over our borders is necessary, but how can we be so angry at people who are looking for a way to live a decent life; to make a better life for their families? We should be looking for a way to make it work, not make it go away. Compassion should be our aim, not isolation. Carte Blanche is not the answer, but neither is anger and hatred. Most of us are looking for the middle ground; to do what is right, even if it's hard sometimes. We have to stop allowing the hardliners on the fringes run our country and our lives.

Love God. Pray for peace.
Faith, hope and love.
Mike