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Rounding Third: The legacy of Thanksgiving leftovers

Our post-Thanksgiving dinner has become a family ritual. Friday’s dinner even has its own name: “TurkeyPile.” Now that I look at the word in print, it doesn’t sound particularly appetizing does it? But it is old-fashioned wonderful. The holiday itself has its own heady anticipations. It’s hard to beat the aroma of that roasting gobbler, especially when there is a remaining bouquet of pumpkin and apple pies still hanging in the air. Those scents enhance the long-awaited, bronzed big boy as he comes out of the oven. There’s nothing quite like that mouth-watering eagerness. ...

Thanksgiving adds to nation’s unity

November is known for more than just our annual Veterans Day celebration. Beyond the history of the end of a great war that involved many countries around the globe is knowledge of other extreme tragedy such as the maritime event of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, a lake freighter that steamed through all of the great lakes carrying valuable cargo for supporting the country’s industry and even energy needs. The ship sank to the bottom of Lake Superior during a horrific storm, losing all of its crew. November also brings us the traditions of Thanksgiving celebrated on the last ...

Catholic ‘message’ consistently inconsistent

I have read the “Special Pastoral Message” on Immigration issued by the U.S. Catholic Bishops who are the leaders of the American Church. While I can understand their concerns the Pastoral Message misses the point as I will soon explain. The message states “Catholic teaching exhorts nations to recognize the fundamental dignity of all persons.” It then states the “Church’s teachings rests on the foundational concern for the human person created in the image and likeness of God.” As a Catholic I fully agree with those statements and also that we have a compassionate God ...

Changing face of warfare

Sadly, new technologies are often tested first in warfare, on the battlefield—not in commerce or for civilian use. For example, a new technology made its debut in World War I—the airplane. Initially thought of as a remarkable new invention to transport people and goods at speeds and distances never imagined—it became an effective intelligence gathering and killing tool over the trenches and battlefields of France. I suppose that if you go way back, to prehistoric times, the same kind of thing happened. The spear was probably invented to protect settlements from predators and to ...

U.S. ‘lukewarm’ to Thanksgiving, God

On the cusp of our nation’s 250th birthday, the Pilgrims can’t be ignored. Not only did our nation have its roots embedded in the Mayflower Compact written “in the name of God,” but their enduring legacy is evident in our country’s recognition of thanksgiving to God. The first presidential proclamation of thanksgiving in 1789 by George Washington read: “Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor… [let us] all unite in ...

Thanksgiving always more than a meal

To begin with, we all should give thanks to Sarah Joseph Hale. If not for her, there’d be no Thanksgiving Day on the fourth Thursday of November. The New England native defied the popular stereotype that a woman’s place was in the kitchen, cranking out babies and keeping her yap shut. Not only did she publish a novel, “Northwood: Life North and South” (1827), but she was the first woman editor of a magazine (The Ladies Magazine) and in 1837, the editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book (150,000 subscribers). Hale ranted and raved for more than three decades on a variety of topics, ...