Saturday, November 29, 2008

Thanksgiving Sabbath


Thanksgiving is over for another year and once again, I am amazed at just how quickly the time passes. This year really seems to be flying by for me. Now that Thanksgiving is past, all thoughts turn towards Christmas and what will seem like the blink of an eye another holiday will be upon us. Today is Sabbath and in less than four weeks Christmas will be here. I love Thanksgiving because I enjoy reflecting upon my many blessings and get together with friends and family and enjoy some of the simple pleasures in life, including our homes, good food and good conversation with people I love.

So many times though, I anticipate and look forward to how nice everything will be and when the actual event takes place, I feel somewhat deflated and let down that it's over so quickly and maybe, somehow the actual event didn't live up to my expectations. This is something that I have struggled with over much of my life. I always try to just relax, take things as they come and have no expectations. But alas, I can't seem to help it. Having an extraordinarily overactive imagination and vivid imagery of mind seems to be more of a downfall rather than a benefit for me. I always imagine a cozy and intimate setting with the dinner table set with our best dishes and pretty candles and maybe a centerpiece of greens and beautifully colored fruit. Everyone is sitting down around the crowded table and one of the men of the family carves the beautifully prepared turkey while all the other dishes are passed around and people ooh and ahh over the delectables we are so blessed to be about to enjoy. Everyone is relaxed and enjoying the comfortable familiarity of family.

I did enjoy the holiday and being with my family, but we never seem to take the time to really sit down and listen to one another and talk about what's been going on in our seperate lives. We somehow seem to be more like a bunch of strangers gathered in familiar surroundings practiceing small talk and telling bad jokes with everyone and trying to be heard above the roar. I'm not quite sure of what I'm trying to say here. My family is not perfect, none of us are. But we seem to lack any kind of spirituality and genuine thankfulness for anything. Sometimes I even wonder if we really do love one another or if we just get together because we think we should, or are supposed to. That sounds really bad, I know and I'm not sure where I'm going, but times are so different now. We lack the closeness that all of us once shared. Maybe I'm just missing my mom and my dad and the way our family used to be.

Maybe I'm missing the way the world used to be. Times were simpler when I was a kid, or at least they sure seemed that way. Everything's so different now, people are even afraid of saying Merry Christmas to someone for fear of offending them. I guess we're supposed to say "Happy Holidays" instead. Or, take a Christmas tree for example, is it politically correct to call it a Christmas tree - or should we cover our bets and refer to it as a "Holiday tree"? Whatever happened to us? Somewhere along the way, our American family and our unique and very American traditions, our very way of life has changed. We seem to be trying to be everything to everyone these days...and somewhere along the way, we've lost ourselves and our uniqueness in the process. Our American traditions.

Well, at the risk of offending someone somewhere, I want to state for the record that I am a soon-to-be forty nine year old American woman who believes in God and in Jesus Christ and I celebrate Christmas because it is the set-aside day to remember the birth of my Lord and Savior. I put up a Christmas tree and decorate it because it's a symbol of my family's tradition and because it smells good and because it's pretty. That's it, pure and simple and if somebody somewhere doesn't like it...I don't really give a rat's ass. I'm not trying to please all of the people everywhere. It's my tradition, period. Celebrate whatever it is you want to celebrate, I don't care. And we always have and always will call it what it is - our Christmas tree. So there! I also mail out Christmas cards to my friends and family - not holiday greetings - Christmas greetings.

I heard on the news yesterday that a mob of shoppers in a Wal-Mart in New York state trampled an employee in a mob rush. Can you believe that?? That is tragic and unbelievable. For what? So they might be able to save $10 bucks on some piece of junk to give to someone who really doesn't need it in the first place? What has happened to the people in this world? I am ashamed when I see stuff like that. What is going on? I wish everyone of those stupid bargain hunting shoppers would be held liable for the death of that person. Might make some other people stop and think about what's really important in this life; and what's not. I guess they call it Black Friday for a reason. I think it's a disgrace and it makes me ashamed of where we as a race of supposedly civilized people are headed.

Well, I'll shut up and get off my soap box once again. I'm just saying that I think it's time we start taking into account where our values lie and what's really important in life. You get just one shot at it folks. That's it, there are no second chances. I want to be a good person, or at least the best person that I'm capable of being. I am not saying that I'm perfect - quite the opposite - I have so many flaws that it would take an hour just to try and list them, but I have my faith and my values and I know what's really important. I'm not saying that it's easy to stand on those values; quite the contrary - the current flows very strongly in the opposite direction. But when my life is over and it's too late to change my path, I at least want to be able to look at myself in the mirror and know without a doubt that I never lived my life based on what "people" thought of me. I am very proud to admit that I am not a politically correct person. If I have offended anyone, well you'll just have to get over it. I really don't give a damn.
I hope that all of you enjoyed your Thanksgiving and time spent with the ones you love.



Blessings, Cingspots

13 comments:

Gail said...

First, let me say, I just love your horses!
Second,(and you're thinking, oh, here someone goes with the political correctness crap!) I agree with you 100%. I, too, am tired of the commercialized(sure wish there was a spellcheck on this)BS that Christmas has become.
Until people start loving and respecting everyone with no regard to religion, color, etc we will continue in the crazy mess that America has become.
I will always pray, even in school.
I will follow the ten commandments whether they are allowed in the courthouse or not. I will always a CHRISTMAS tree.
If I have offended anyone with my comment...C-ingspots said it for me.

Sherry Sikstrom said...

Hey girl,
I hear you and totally get your point. I grew up reciting the lords prayer and also sining God Save the Queen!(I am Canadian)that to has long become politically incorrect. So hears to you! And I will be singing CHRISTMAS CAROLS wishing all a Merry Christmas and keeping my friends ,family and all my new blogging friends in my thoughts and prayers.

allhorsestuff said...

Hay there C-ing,
I know what you mean about wanting the deeper meaning of the times we share, for the purposes of why they were set up as a celebration in the first place!
I am somewhat idealistic about some things like: Holidays being focused on what they are set up for, Meaningful celebrations apart from materialism. This society we have going on now...it does not know what it thinks about old traditions. Though take them away and you have no base for anything
Truley sad!

Nothing does stay the same, that is forsure. Butthe other thing that is FORSURE- I am NOT PC, decidedly so!
I do say Merry Christmas, I hug, I have a Christmas tree, I tend to please God over people too.
But, it is true that if I offend one knowingly-I am offending God...so I am careful of that aspect..I don't wantto be rude.

You silly...It's your blog..and you can be who you want to be here and who YOU ARE!!! Readershhip will be higher and truer with the pure you!
Love ya for YOU!

And your horses are adorable!

Melanie said...

Hmmmm...well I for one am offended by your post!!! JUST JOKING...lol!!!! I totally understand your feelings about family and closeness,

As you have already mentioned, I think that our society is now so hassled and rushed that we have to "take time" to take time,so to speak.

I find myself sitting there, enjoying the company of friends and family, but also thinking about what I need to get done. I then tell my inner dialogue to shut up, and remind myself that I need to live in the moment...lol!!

What will the future of holdays be like for my kidlets??? God only knows. I was horrified and ashamed to hear about that poor worker as well. We have become a greedy mob, haven't we?

Oh well...we can all be happy and uplifting to each other, and guess what??? My Christmas tree is going up tomorrow....lol!!!

Laughing Orca Ranch said...

Wow, your post spoke volumes to me C-Spots. I've felt this way for years and you just put it all into words.

We used to travel every year to spend Thanksgiving with relatives out of state, but like you felt those gatherings were shallow and rushed, and fake, and often filled with snippety gossip, too.

For the past 6 years, we've refused to get drawn into any of that baloney, and instead choose to keep our holidays small, intimate and simple, just the 5 of us. We laugh and argue and talk. We are low-key, laid back and low stress, the way I think all holidays should be.

And I've only done Black Friday once, many years ago. And it was enough for me. I'll never do it again. It's chaos. And the crowds, lines and crazy, angry people stressed me out.

On Friday, I usually sleep in, then have a leisurely breakfast, visit with our animals, play games with my kids, read, and dig out some Christmas decor. Yes CHRISTMAS decorations. Because that's what they are. :)

God bless you, my friend. You speak up and say what you want to on your blog. Freedom of Speech is still alive, and you have a right to feel the way you do and speak your mind. Kudos!

~Lisa
New Mexico

Laughing Orca Ranch said...

Oh, and your horses are just gorgeous! I love seeing pics of your horses posted on your blog :)

Lisa

Pony Girl said...

Nice, passionate post!

You know, I always want the "picture perfect" holiday, too. It's hard to realize that your family just doesn't do things that way. It doesn't mean we still don't enjoy our gatherings. But I do hope that when I have a family of my own someday, I can start some traditions of my own! ;) Centerpieces and eating all together at one table and all!

The trampling at the shopping malls appalls me, too! I just can't believe people have that mentality.

Fantastyk Voyager said...

Beautiful spots!!! I love your appaloosas!

Isn't that tragic about the WalMart employee? It is a terrible thing to have happen and just goes to show what a horrible society we have nowadays!
This year is going to be a spiritual Christmas for me rather than a commercial one.

Sherry Sikstrom said...

You know I had no idea what Black Friday even was ,I had assumed it was a type of memorial or something ,(we have a date in August in the Edmonton area called Black Friday to remember a Tornado that devastated the city and destroyed lives and homes in the early 90's. Sounds like your "Black Friday has become similar ,wherever it started. So sorry to hear of the incedent and wish the season had started with a more peaceful theme.

SquirrelGurl said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog!!

Your horses are beautiful!!

I was so sad to hear about what happened at Walmart, to think those people had such blatant disregard for human life is appalling.

C-ingspots said...

Thank you everybody for your sincere comments. It is so nice to hear that I'm not alone in my feelings about some of these things. Sometimes I get so scared about the direction we as people are heading. I wish we could all just slow down, take a deep breath and be loving and respectful of each other and not buy into the greedy mentality of evil.
Thanks too for the appreciative words about my lovely Scooter and her mirror-image son Harley. True love between mother and son.
Hope everyone has a good week.

Anonymous said...

I cannot add anything to what has already been said, so I will just say "AMEN!"

Leah Fry said...

Love, love, LOVE your leopards!!! IWhat part of Oregon are you? A dear friend of mine is in Grants Pass.

Are you on the Happy Appy forum?