Thanksgiving Open Thread: November 25th, 2010
Please use this thread to tell us something you are thankful for.
Also, it is now one month before Christmas.
There are many opportunities to volunteer for something in your community that would make someone’s Christmas merry.
Toys for Tots.
Food drives.
Spreading cheer at nursing homes.
Visiting people with AIDS and cleaning or cooking for them.
You pick something you are comfortable doing…then do it in the spirit of Christmas.
This can be a new favorite family tradition.
So many people will spend “Black Friday” crammed into stores fighting over gadgets and acting the fool.
Why can’t the day after Thanksgiving be “Give Back Friday” instead of take, take, take.
Eat all you want today, and be grateful for it. Enjoy it all.
But tomorrow please start thinking about how you can make a difference in someone else’s lives at Christmas.
For the last 6 years, I have given my friends two gifts at Christmas: a tree ornament I make, and a card…which has a promise in it to dedicate a day of service to a charity that means something to that person. I ask everyone to do the same for me, and give me just the gift of promising to make someone else’s life a little better one day in the New Year.
I mention that because maybe you could avoid the nightmare consumer crowds of Black Friday and think about replacing store bought gifts with new ones from the heart.
That would sure put the “Christ” back in “Christmas”…and I guarantee these gifts would be remembered much longer than anything you can buy at the mall.
© 2010, Kevin DuJan. All rights reserved.
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Every year, we take our kids to the store to pick out toys to put into the Toys for Tots box. It teaches them about giving and it’s so much more rewarding than just doing it ourselves. We get to see them pick out a toy that they would really like and then drop it into the box knowing they will help make another child’s Christmas brighter. They’ve never made a fuss about it, even though I’m sure they’d really like to keep the toys for themselves.
Never fear…it’s still early in the season. Those boxes will start to fill up soon.
HillBuzzers have shown the ability and willingness to influence our world. Here is an opportunity to change more than a competition or an election.
We can alter the balance of big government vs state government. We can put power back in the local level. This proposal has the support of only a few states. It needs Bristol’s Pistols to put it over.
Want to put your passion to work? Here’s the link:
http://www.repealamendment.org/
Forgot to add this link:
http://dailycaller.com/2010/11/24/voter-anger-fuels-support-for-%E2%80%9Crepeal-amendment%E2%80%9D/
My partner, my mom and I will be spending the early day with my partner’s grandmother in a nursing home. She broke her hip a few weeks back, and was having a difficult time recovering, so her son and his second wife dumped her in a home so they didn’t have to deal with her. Just to be stubborn she decided to tackle her own rehab and is now walking, and getting around. The son and second wife are mad as hell she is getting better, but too bad. They took off on vacation so they didn’t have to deal with her on Thanksgiving. We have been seeing her daily, and will be having dinner with her, and also I’m going to take her great granddaughter to see her. She is happy we’re coming, but we have a bigger surprise for her, once she is officially out of rehab she will be coming home to our house to finish up her recuperation and stay as long as she wants. I think that will pretty much make her turkey day a really nice time for her. We’ll continue to visit her every day until she can come home with us. Her son and second wife my not want her around, but we sure do!
That is really great of you…thank you for sharing. Wish her a great recovery and happy Thanksgiving from all of us.
This is really wonderful. I have heard some real horror stories over time.
I live away from all family members. My sons are visiting this year.
Yet, hearing your story about your partner’s grandmother reminds me of the shameful manner in which my cousin dumped my grandmother into a nursing home facility when she was over 90 years old. Nana was not happy.
I will not bore people with the details of all that took place.
Over here retirement villages are a big thing. I am not against these places because they do provide some necessary assistance for elderly people.
When my father had his second stroke the hospital insisted that he was placed in a nursing home. My mum could not look after him. Again I will not bore you with the details.
My father passed away 7 years ago.
I think I may have accidentally deleted my comment. Because I’m *smart* like that. I’ll try again?
I’ve worked in nursing homes before, both in voluntary and paid positions. The loneliness and – just as important – the boredom both scared and angered me.
Human beings need companionship and a purpose to their lives. The elderly are dumped in these places and not allowed to contribute to society.
Dementia aside – people with severe dementia are better off if their loved ones aren’t there – we need to be focusing on improving their health and then *allowing* them to do something useful.
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/0330/034-on-my-mind.html
One of my uncles is a gerontologist, and he can spit nails about the doctors who will be VERY hesitant to do things like hip replacements on the elderly. Because their lives are o-v-e-r, see? *eye twitch* No one values the elderly – and yet they’ll be very shocked, SHOCKED, when they are old themselves.
There ends the rant. I hafta say, I feel better.
Thank you for taking care of your partner’s grandmother. May I use this opportunity to share some things with you all?
I work in an elder law firm. What I am about to share should in NO WAY be taken as GIVING LEGAL ADVICE to anyone. I am not a lawyer. That would be illegal.
What most people who are getting on in age are not aware of is that in 2006, a law, the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA), hit seniors hard. As I understand it, prior to then, if one spouse had to go into a nursing home for Long Term Care (LTC), not rehab, Medicare would stop paying, so the family would have to pay out of pocket for a nursing home (NH). In order to qualify for Medicaid, the spouse in the NH had to be “poor.” The spouse in the NH had to spent down her half of the couple’s assets. The spouse not in a NH could keep his half of the assets and not become “poor.” But the DRA was so badly written that, unless you speak with an ELDER LAW attorney, the couple’s entire savings could be wiped out in order for the spouse in the NH to qualify for Medicaid.
There are ways to protect people’s assets. But, every situation is different, hence the need to speak with an ELDER LAW attorney. Estate documents need to be reviewed and perhaps updated. These can only be done if people are “competent.” There are ways to protect your house and still allow you to live in it. There are ways to protect other financial assets.
If you find yourself in this situation and have been wondering what to do, please contact an ELDER LAW attorney today. Do not just go to your trusted financial advisor or attorney who may not understand the DRA. Whatever you do, DO NOT WAIT. As I understand it, an ELDER LAW attorney can help a couple more than a single person.
And if you have a loved one in a NH, please visit that individual at different times so that you can monitor whether that person is being treated with dignity. Most nursing homes are unionized. If they know you are coming for a visit the same time every time, they will make sure things look good for your arrival.
My mother-in-law was left sitting in a wet diaper in a wheel chair for nine hours with no phone or buzzer within her reach. This was only discovered when my husband showed up at 9:00 P.M. one day. That was illegal.
Be vigilant. Be patient. It is a hard time on everyone when someone needs a NH, but “this too shall pass” and you will be left with only your memories, both good an bad. Have no regrets.
A similar thing happened to my mom’s aunt when she developed Alzheimer’s. She had two sons, neither of whom were married. Her husband had died 5/6 years earlier and had left her with a huge sum of money. But rather than hire someone to take care of her in her own home, they put her into a nursing home. They were trying to save as much money as possible, because they knew they would inherit it when she died.
It was really sad. Whenever we would go to visit her we would take pictures of my kids with us. She would get confused and think they were my mom’s kids. Sometimes, she would tell the nurses that the pictures were her sister’s (my grandmother’s) kids. Every time we went, she would ask us when she was going home and insist that she was fine and ready to GO HOME! There’s was nothing we could do, because it wasn’t up to us. In the meantime, her son had moved into her house and was basically living there like it was his own.
It’s really sad how some people treat those who have loved and taken care of them their whole lives. She is blessed to have you. Happy Thanksgiving!
Isn’t it amazing (and not in a good way) what the anticipation of money will do to people? I’ve seen despicable behavior in my own family toward elders when $$$ come into the picture. There has to be a special place in hell for those people.
AliRose, my sister and I have had similar isues with our older brother. My mom was widowed for the second time in March of 2007. My brother would only help my mom if she paid him. Then he would come running to get his check. My hubby, whom my mom adored, always did things for mom before she even asked. He told her that he was insulted that she would think she needed to pay him for doing things around her home. He further told her that his parents raised him to help family whenever he could. When my mom passed in December of 2008, I stood at her casket for the last time with my hubby, and BGF, with my brother and sister standing behind me. I said to hubby that I was glad that I was able to be there for mom when she needed me, and that I had no regrets. The words were no sooner out of my mouth than my brother broke down. Later, after thinking about it, I realized that he did have regret on some level that he was never there for mom unless money was involved. We sold mom’s house a year ago this coming February (to great neighbors thank God!). We have not seen my brother since the closing for mom’s house, where he picked up his final check. I am thankful for my sister, that we are still extremely close. I am thankful for my in-laws whom I love dearly. I am thankful for my husband, whom I consider to be my own personal gift from God. I am thankful for the intelligent, patriotic, thoughtful people who gather here and on other sites to do their best to save America. I am thankful that I was born in the best Country on the planet. I am grateful that God guided the Founders in the writing of our Nation’s Founding Documents.
I have seen that bad behavior in my own family, mind boggling and very upsetting. When you give to others you actually receive more than you will ever begin to realize even years later. God bless you all for being so kind and mindful to your partner’s grandmother. You are an excellent example and God will never forget your kindness, never.
What my cousin did to my grandmother was despicable. However, I will not go into details.
This isn’t really relevent in an American context, but I like to work with asylum seekers. The Irish govt likes to put them in hostels, forbid them from working, give them €10 p/week and then act surprised when they go batty.
I’m thankful that I live in the most beautiful free country in the world.
Lately, I have been buying books about the very founding of this country and xeroxing parts of it and giving it out to people who are completely ignorant about it.
and then I challenge them to read it and stop listening to the lies they have been told!
If anyone has anymore doubt that the marxist fraud will sell out America’s interest in a heartbeat for his own pathetic glory.
Sen Kyle I hope you will stop this START treaty!!!!!
http://newsflavor.com/politics/international-relations/the-ulsterman-report-is-president-obama-getting-punked-by-the-russians/#ixzz16G4uaeXe
“To date, the American media has done little to report on the issue more than to state the delay of the START’s ultimate approval has been due to delays by Republicans. This is not entirely accurate. As the treaty worked its way through the Congressional review process, more than 30 amendments, many sponsored by Democrats, were added to the original version signed by President Obama and Russian President Medvedev. Perhaps most notable among these amendments was the attempted exclusion of the new START treaty from impacting America’s future missile defense system. That’s right – President Obama had willingly signed off on an agreement that would have significantly reduced further development of a comprehensive missile defense system. The very thing that had caused President Reagan over 20 years ago to rise from the negotiations table, look then Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev in the eyes and declare “Nyet!”, was the very thing current President Barack Obama so willingly gave up – America’s right to have and share with its allies, a comprehensive missile defense program. In essence, Obama gave up this nation’s right to more effectuvely defend itself from the very missiles he wishes to see reduced.
“
What would happen if the TSA (yeah, again) was to make themselves even *more* invasive – hey, they’re already claiming that people gave up all their rights once they accepted metal detectors:
http://www.cracked.com/photoplasty_150_if-tsa-security-measures-were-even-more-invasive/
Yes, I laughed. Then I wanted this taken down before the TSA got any more ideas. A lot of the ideas aren’t even that far out.
On another tack, one of my dad’s friends came back from New York. She said that the workers had asked her to stand still with her arms up. She had no idea what had happened, and dad had to gently tell her they had *strip*scanned her.
She is never going back.
This needs to be the new symbol of the current WH administra – no, wait, can I do the leftist thing and call it a regime yet?
http://littlemissattila.com/?p=18868
That’s a good one.
Remember the suggestions of making p*orn sounds when you’re getting groped, or semi clothed protests. PJTV has stuff on that – I haven’t had the chance to watch it, but it looks like an interesting question.
http://www.pjtv.com/
Anguished food snobs trying – and failing – to take an honest look at themselves. (Yes, yes, consider the source. I know.)
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/11/22/what-food-says-about-class-in-america.html
Choice quotes:
***
“Michael Pollan is my new hero, next to Jimmy Carter,” she told me.
This is our charity. This is my giving to the world,” says Alexandra, finally, as she packs lunchboxes—organic peanut butter and jelly on grainy bread, a yogurt, and a clementine—for her two boys. “We contribute a lot.”
***
By Charidee, she means buying expensive food and lecturing people about not doing so. It’s something I’ve always suspected about the left – theyn honestly think they’re doing the world a favour by lecturing everyone else.
I think it was George Orwell who said that it was the ultimate cheek of the better off to look at a housewife with 6 shillings a week for food and then tell her how to spend it. (Paraphrased, obviously.)
I’m sorry, but that is an absolute riot. These people would not survive a day in my house.
The other morning we were running late so DD made herself a pepperoni sandwich for breakfast. Heck, at least it wasn’t Doritos.
Apparently this is true and if the word spreads ABC should feel a
real backlash.
ABC News – Joins Obama – Bans American Flag Lapel Pins ABC News Joins Obama in Bans American Flag Lapel Pins
ABC NEWS BANS FLAG LAPEL PINS – Barbara Walters said that this was going to hurt ABC badly. As you know she works for ABC.
ABC NEWS BANS FLAG LAPEL PINS! – YESTERDAY THE BRASS AT ABC NEWS ISSUED ORDERS FORBIDDING REPORTERS TO WEAR LAPEL PIN AMERICAN FLAGS OR OTHER PATRIOTIC INSIGNIA. THEIR REASONING WAS THAT ABC SHOULD REMAIN NEUTRAL ABOUT ‘CAUSES’. SINCE WHEN IS SUPPORT FOR PREVENTING DEATH AND DESTRUCTION SOME SORT OF A ‘CAUSE’? SINCE WHEN IS PATRIOTISM TO BE DISCOURAGED?
IF YOU AGREE WITH THIS, I URGE YOU TO BOYCOTT ABC AND ITS SPONSORS AND AFFILIATES. WE ARE SLOWLY LOSING EVERYTHING OUR COUNTRY STANDS FOR AND EVERYTHING OUR MEN AND WOMEN FOUGHT AND DIED TO PRESERVE! PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO AS MANY AS YOU CAN. THIS HAS BEEN VERIFIED THROUGH:http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/a/abcflag.htm
Well, I try and avoid watching the alphabet networks anyway, but this story is a mixture or true and false, but is a really old story going back to 9/11. According to Snopes, the last update to this story is from 2008:
http://www.snopes.com/rumors/noflags.asp
please keep in mind that Snopes is a left-wing organization. They are not all that reliable when it comes to a variety of matters e.g. the fake COLB that they verified.
I am very grateful to those who are taking my son and some of his fellow soldiers into their home for Thanksgiving so they won’t be eating in the chow hall today. He is on the other side of our great country and will be missed when we sit down later on today. Thank you to those who are making it possible for our service people to be in a home for a meal on this day!!
Is there a link to the organization that sponsors this program? We had an abundance of food, and love, and a family of veterans, and those that love them, who would have been honored to have a soldier in attendance. Thanks nellyq, to your son for his service, and to you for raising a fine man.
Angelina Jolie refuses to celebrate or teach her children the Thanksgiving tradition that is so uniquely American. She says she refuses to participate in the “celebration of murder”. What a warped, sad mind. I for one am VERY grateful that my Puritan ancestors so bravely crossed the Atlantic and endured hardship so they could lay a foundation for this great country of ours. Few people of today would be that brave. To sit down once a year and give thanks for all the wonderful things you have is not a “celebration of murder”. She embraced the anti-American hate so many socialists endorse. It is sad her children will be deprived of this great tradition because their mother was narrow minded and prejudice. She, of all people, could not be who they are or could not give generously to charity the way she has if not for those ancestors who crossed the Atlantic in a quest for freedom.
I’m with you, Bev. My ancestors were the Pilgrims who settled in Plymouth, MA. They actually celebrated the first Thanksgiving with the Wampanoag Indians. The History Channel has been running The Real Story of Thanksgiving. I just noticed that it will be run again at 11:00 P.M. EST for those who are interested. Years ago I read Bradford’s Plymouth Plantation and from what I remember, the History Channel’s version is fairly accurate to Bradford’s book. You can DVR it and watch it with the family tonight.
So do they cover the fact that the original colony was founded on the idea of true socialism, and that the experiment failed miserably until it was decided to move toward individual property rights? Thanks for the tip, I’ll DVR it for later viewing.
Oh, dear, I have misled people. I am so sorry. I have the wrong title. The one my husband DVR’d for me was Desparate Crossing, Mayflower.
You are correct, though, about their idea of socialism and finding it did not work. Bradford discusses this in his book.
Keep the USS George Washington battle group in your prayers. They got pulled away from a Thanksgiving in port to stand in harm’s way when the Korean situation brewed up.
I am very grateful for 0bama and the insane and loony left that took over the Democrat party. They ripped off their mask and exposed their truly insane designs for this country, and in doing so, was directly responsible for waking up and aligning the vast silent majority against them.
Unfortunately, I don’t think this country would be so united in wanting to roll back the size and reach of the government machine if 0bama hadn’t stolen the nomination from Hillary, and the leftist/marxist plans would have just laid hidden and working behind the scenes to achieve their goals more slowly. Remember the story about how to boil a frog, raise the temperature only 1 degree at a time. It would have been all too easy to institute a lot of the changes the TSA made by small increments and use the media to indoctrinate the sheeple to accept each small encroachment of our rights, until they were all gone.
Indeed, Kev, God surely is watching out for the USA, and has blessed its people by showing us so clearly the evil that exists and much be defeated.
WOW.
That is an excellent point. I was one of those Hillary dems, in fact I was a lifelong dem, and then 2008 happened and I saw who these radical lunatics are, and they were and are out in the open.
It is all in the open now, and that water is a raging boil now.
Thankful that I got to come out to New York with family and friends to see my alma mater as the lead band in the Macy’s parade, we knew several people marching.
Even though the end of this year has hit us hard financially (this trip was scheduled and paid for long ago) we’re going to try to do our usual Toys for Tots, “Christmas Angel” presents, and spending a couple hundred at Aldi to stock the local food pantry. And of course we give a dollar to every single Salvation Army kettle we pass!
And who knows, maybe we’ll have a good opportunity to help people out as well.
Bless you, Michelle and family, for being the example you are.
Oh geez, I’m not an example of anything! These are the most super-basic things that pretty much anyone can be doing! There are a lot of people that are doing far more than me.
Our family used to bring home soldiers from the local base that couldn’t get home to their families, I remember that from growing up, new people every year. We stopped doing that when we stopped having a family dinner (parents divorce, etc) but it was good memories.
so tom delay may go to jail,(punishment ranges to many years in prison) while rangel gets a slap on the wrist? am i dense that i dont see this as an injustice?
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/11/24/jury-convicts-delay-money-laundering-trial/
I hesitate to call it money laundering.
I bet that Øbama has done the same thing. And yes he really has participated in money laundering.
Don’t forget that love and hugs burns calories faster than anything. Eat drink and be grateful today… Blessings.
Hey housemom1952 that is one awesome post! I’m thankful for having two parents who raised me with family values,the benefits of hard work, and most of all faith in God.
God Bless America you all!
Something to digest along with all the fixins. We have so much for which to be thankful!!!
http://sweetness-light.com/archive/washingtons-thanksgiving-proclamation-2
I think you might like this thanksgiving cartoon
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2010/11/sarah_palins_thanksgiving.html
Yes, I know I am a busy beaver. I am also a part of PA Pundits International – an occasional writer.
I just had to rebut the man writing about being allowed to touch his junk.
This is the second rebuttal:
http://papundits.wordpress.com/2010/11/25/a-rebuttal-to-you-can-touch-my-junk-pt-2/
I am in the process of getting ready for my trip. I am thinking that I need to do an even more detailed response because I have seen several similar pieces that contain inaccuracies.
What I think is absurd it the comparison between mentally disabled children in the streets of Iraq being tricked by insurgents and the American public in general.
I just found this story with Anderson Cooper:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vYWX9yblpI&fs=1&hl=en_US]
It is worth watching because it seems that CNN has been following this story.
there is some extra good content available from citizen journalists who have been doing the legwork that the LSM fails to do regarding the activities, and the harassment of the TSA towards travellers.
To post just use the bare link.
Drop [youtube= and &fs=1&hl=en_US
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vYWX9yblpI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vYWX9yblpI
I am using the embed code but it will not post in the normal way.
Keep the TSA honest? Pro TSA propaganda disguised as a hit piece.
I blog. And as a blogger I LOVE to be able to see what is coming. I saw the TSA (or something like it) coming almost 6 years ago. Well before then actually. But I got the words written back then.
Here is a reprise of a bit I wrote in Feb. 2005 warning you what was coming. And back then I was a hysterical old lady:
http://powerandcontrol.blogspot.com/2010/11/man-for-all-seasons-reprise.html
Unfortunately I was right.
So yeah. I’m thankful for the Spirit Vision. Or mild schizophrenia. Depending.
here is one to view at your own discretion:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7AWw7t5zj0&fs=1&hl=en_US]
Last year, a couple of months before Christmas my middle daughter suggested that we not buy any gifts for each other, but instead pool all our spare money and use it to buy goats, chickens, sheep, pigs, and other animals for people in impoverished countries, so they can feed their families and raise their standard of living. She got the idea from a World Vision Christmas catalog. We ran the idea past all the other members of the family, and everyone agreed enthusiastically. My youngest daughter made a cardboard box with a slit on the top and decorated it with pictures of farm animals, and we all threw money into the box whenever we had some to spare. On Christmas day we opened the box and found we had nearly a thousand dollars, which we sent to World Vision to buy the chickens and goats and so on and deliver them to needy families. We all agreed it was the best Christmas gift ever and we plan to do the same thing this year. LOTS better than fighting crowds and traffic and wasting money buying stuff for people who don’t really need anything. We know our gifts went to people who really need them.
Here is a link to World Vision’s Christmas gift catalog for anyone who is interested.
http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/pages/gift-catalog-dynamic-search?open&campaign=1193512&cmp=KNC-1193512
the one thing I will never do is help World Vision…. sorry… there are good reasons to not give them anything.
There are other better charities than that lot.
Nothing like dumping on a family’s efforts and good feelings without citing your reasons.
According to Charity Navigator World Vision has a four-star rating. They also compare well with the other top charities in their category.
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=4768
thanks!