Traditionally, Thanksgiving is celebrated by sharing a feast with friends and family. In the United States, this is an important family holiday, and people often go to all parts of the country to reunite with their families. In the United States, Thanksgiving is usually a four-day weekend, and Americans have holidays on Thursday and Friday. Thanksgiving is almost entirely celebrated at home, unlike the 4th of July or Christmas, which is associated with various public experiences (fireworks, carols, etc.). )
The origin of Thanksgiving can be traced back to the beginning of American history. 1620, the famous Mayflower arrived in America with 102 Puritans who could not bear the persecution of English religion. In the winter at the turn of 1620 and 162 1, they encountered unimaginable difficulties and were hungry and cold. After winter passed, only 50 immigrants survived. At this time, the kind Indians brought necessities to the immigrants, and specially sent people to teach them how to hunt, fish and grow corn and pumpkins. With the help of Indians, the immigrants finally got a bumper harvest. On the day of celebrating the harvest, according to religious traditions and customs, immigrants set a day to thank God and decided to invite them to celebrate the festival together to thank the Indians for their sincere help.
On the first Thanksgiving, Indians and immigrants gathered together. They fired a salute at dawn, marched into a room used as a church, expressed their sincere thanks to God, then lit a bonfire and held a grand banquet. On the second and third days, wrestling, running, singing and dancing were held. The first Thanksgiving was a great success. Many of these celebrations have been circulated for more than 300 years and have been preserved to this day.
At first, there was no fixed date for Thanksgiving, which was decided temporarily by the states. It was not until the United States became independent that Thanksgiving Day became a national holiday. 1863, American President Lincoln officially declared Thanksgiving as a national holiday. At that time, family reunion and national celebration will be as grand and warm as the Spring Festival in China.
When you say gratitude, you'd better use the word gratitude.
Gratitude is an Open Door: Three Stories about Wealth and Poverty
By Kate Judd
Let me tell you a story. I have two good friends who have never met. They are similar in age. They are all divorced; They come from the same ethnic background. One has one child, and the other has three. They have many common interests. I thought they would fall in love.
At a party in my home, I introduced my friends to each other. "Annette, this is Barbara; Barbara, Annette. You have so much in common. "
Annette is a talkative person. Immediately, she began to tell Barbara about her life. "Divorce is too painful, isn't it?" Annette said. "I mean, money is so tight. My new house cost 270,000 dollars. I have to get financial help from my father. It's not that dad didn't. He just donated a chair in a key university. But I don't want to ask. Of course, I do have alimony from my ex-Bill. But I don't think I should rely on it. I'm saving for retirement-my accountant says I should. The house built by Bill and I can't be sold. I don't know why. We spent $900,000 on that house, which is absolutely perfect.
"It doesn't matter much to Bill that the house can't be sold. He is the vice president of a big bank in the city. But I'm really struggling. I mean, I don't earn much. I'm just a music teacher. So, anyway, I decided to add one to my new house: a small apartment. I don't know where to raise the money. It will cost sixty thousand dollars. But, you know, in the long run, this is a huge investment. It increased the value of the house. I want to rent it out, so that I can get rent every month to increase my income. It is worthwhile to save some money when I build it. "
My friend Barbara sat quietly. There is always a smile on her face. I've never heard Barbara say anything bad about anyone-never. She never said a word against Annette; But after the party, she told me that she didn't want to see Annette again.
You see, I forgot one thing: while Annette, who is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, is worried about whether she has enough money to survive, Barbara supports herself and her teenage children with the $10,000 she earns by mopping the floor and washing the toilet every year. She never complains.
Before that, what do I think of wealth? About poverty? I grew up in a comfortable environment and never lacked anything-in fact, I was addicted to anything that money could buy. I know that I am different from most other children in the small rural school where I went as a child. But I didn't realize that this difference was related to money. Like many young members of the upper class, I don't know what I am.
Sitting with Annette and Barbara, I know. I thought, "Let me never take what I have for granted. Let me never complain about poverty when I am really rich. "
If you ask Barbara if she is poor, she may deny it. She would say, "I have a child who loves me. We have a house to live in. I have my health, so I can work for my life. Of course, we sometimes have to get food from the community food pantry, but we always have enough food. I can even raise enough money to go to school, so that one day I can be competent for a better job and let me take care of my emotionally troubled children. I have a family that cares about me. I am grateful to have so much. "
Maybe I should take Barbara for example? Maybe I should be grateful for what I have-no matter how much or how little.
Let me tell you another story: I have a middle-aged relative who lives alone in a big house. She is mentally disabled and unemployed, but she is funded by a large trust fund set up by her late parents. Although her lifestyle is not rich by North American standards, she always dresses beautifully, eats well and can afford to hire people to do any work that she can't or doesn't want to do.
One day my relatives went to the supermarket (how we take it for granted)! Another friend of mine once hosted a professor from Russia. The professor was fascinated by the local small supermarket. She said loudly, "in America, your market is like a museum!" " My relative, after a long trip, walked up and down the aisle full of goods, her eyes became dull and her feet ached. She decided to go to the flower box and choose a bunch of fresh flowers for herself. An old Asian woman stood in front of a bucket full of big colorful roses. When my relatives chose her flowers, she was silent. "It's too cheap," my relative thought. "Only one dollar a shot!" She chose a large bunch.
Another woman is still standing there. "It's hard to choose, isn't it?" My relatives said. "Oh, I can't," said the old woman. "It's too expensive. I just like to come and see. They are so beautiful. "
So this lady is grateful for the beautiful flowers given away for free in the supermarket/museum. Is that all? Does she feel poor because she can't afford a dollar rose? Some people will say that this woman is richer than my friend Annette. Annette has a lot of money, but she always feels poor. In this case, my relatives should not feel any guilt or worry, but should take her flowers home and enjoy them, firmly believing that each of us must simply thank what we have, no matter how we got it. Or should my relatives take the initiative to buy some flowers for the old lady? This is another popular solution: those who have more should make private donations to those who have less. Maybe my relatives should put her flowers back in the box and donate her money to some valuable organization-an organization that fights poverty?
What can I learn from all this? It is certainly a good thing to be grateful for what we have. Like my friend Barbara, in this minute, I am grateful for so much: the beautiful scenery of Vermont outside the window, the fruits of my rich garden, the house I live in, my beloved husband, my job, my health and my friends. However, in my opinion, my gratitude is not enough as long as others don't have what I have. If others lack beauty, healthy food, a home (or even a shelter), love and friendship, work that rewards them, and care for health and health maintenance, then my gratitude is only the beginning. The door to the next step. I can open the door of gratitude, go forward and try my best to help others realize what I have. Or I can close the door. Then gratitude turned into complacency, and I was trapped.
Let me stop thinking for a while and tell you another story: once, I saved money for a whole year so that I could attend a seminar. The seminar was held in an institution specializing in self-realization, spiritual exploration and natural rehabilitation. In this institution, perhaps hundreds of people come to the seminar to pursue these vague but commendable goals. Among them, I saw about ten people who were not white. Although it's hard to say, I think there are just as few people who are not rich economically. Although I come from "the whitest state in America", I am uneasy about the lack of racial and class diversity. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the seminar I attended.
One night, I was standing in the dinner line, next to the person who presided over the seminar, a woman with extraordinary strength and charm. She rested her hands on her hips and shouted, "Ah! It's good to be alive! "
There must be something on my face. Maybe I left her a little. I know she seemed a little unhappy with me for the rest of the seminar. But you see, I was thinking, it's good for you to live. It's good to be alive for me. But what about the homeless people sleeping in the park tonight? What if a person just found out that he has cancer, but there is no medical insurance to pay for the treatment? What about residents of other less wealthy countries-men living in tin sheds in Mexico, women begging on the streets of Mumbai? What about starving children and mothers who can't feed them? What do you mean "it's good to be alive"? ! "
I don't want to pretend to be sacred. I am a privileged middle class and have a very lucky life. I hope everyone can be like me. I think it's naive. Idealism, of course. After all, what am I going to do about it? Where is my plan, my solution to the poverty and hunger that plague most people in the world?
I am not arrogant enough to propose a solution. Other people who are smarter, wiser, more politically savvy and more religious dogmatic seem to have proposed solutions from the beginning. All I know is that I can't sit around and hope others have a better life. I must try my best to do it. Otherwise, my gratitude will become meaningless. I will close the door, leave the better part of human nature outside, sit alone, gloat over my wealth like a miser, and be isolated from love, study and pain, which are essential to life, just like the material enjoyment I enjoy, trapped in complacency. Then, I am really poor.
Inspirational story
Motivational Story #9
Live with gratitude.
Imagine that one night you can't sleep, and the next morning you have to get up early to attend a very important meeting, and you are the keynote speaker. Your alarm clock rang early in the morning and woke you up from a short sleep. You stumbled out of bed, took a quick shower, got a cup of coffee and some toast, and then went to work to fight the traffic on the road.
Does this sound like the beginning of a bad day? Most people will answer "yes". However, few people will answer "no". These people, in my opinion, are gifted. A gift that decides how they look at life. These people live with a "grateful attitude". For m, the situation described may be worse. Much worse. For example, think of those people who have no beds, let alone a place to live. When he woke up from a little sleep, it was because the rain fell on his cold body. He also stumbled to his feet and began his journey of barefoot work. His job is in the field of life saving. He rummaged through the trash can for half-rotten food scraps and odd clothes to keep warm.
The purpose of this example is to show that we all have a lot to be grateful for. Even when there seems to be nothing worse, there is always reason to be grateful. When you feel grateful, you will feel happy and satisfied. My challenge to you today is to learn to look for the good in any situation and live with a "grateful attitude".
I promise you, if you are the one looking for food in the trash can, you can also find something to be grateful for. You just need to look hard enough and "open your eyes" to see everything around you. You must focus on the good side of life, not the bad side.
"I used to be upset because I didn't have shoes until I met a man with no feet." unknown
Life runs in mysterious ways. Time and time again, people are in terrible trouble, but they are found to help others who are experiencing greater chaos. This is because once you help people who need help more than you do, you will feel better. You feel better because you have helped another person, which forces you to change your mind, from focusing on your problems to focusing on their solutions.
Always focus on solutions, not problems, and live with gratitude! Mother Teresa is the main example of this phenomenon. She has been helping people in need all her life. Therefore, she experienced a lot of love and self-satisfaction in her life.
I encourage you to take a moment to think about five things in your life that you are grateful for today. For example, your friends, your family, your job, your sense of smell, touch, sight and hearing. This list can go on and on. Imagine what your life would be like without these things. Write them down on a piece of paper and think about what you are grateful for. You will be amazed at how great you will feel!