Get back to basics this Thanksgiving

The way things are going, I’m afraid Thanksgiving will be canceled. But let ... me tell you a secret: A country that doesn’t give thanks is headed for disaster, if it’s not already there.

It’s time for America to get back to basics. Many of you may be wondering, “What the heck do we have to be thankful for when this country is a mess?” Every day it gets worse. More murders, higher prices, political outrage, division and strife, and leaders saying they have solutions to problems they created. So who wants to give thanks?

To top it off, there was another disturbing headline that said, “25% of Americans Skipping Thanksgiving Due to Inflation.”

The survey by Personal Capital claimed one in four people will forego Thanksgiving dinner because of “soaring inflation.” In addition, 42 percent will ask guests to help foot the bill, while 52 percent will solicit them to bring a dish for dinner. But isn’t that the way Thanksgiving has always been? Only freeloaders go to someone’s house without bringing something. Even the Pilgrims and the Native Americans knew that.

The other frightening possibility is we might not be able to get turkeys, in which case I plan to ambush one of those wild turkeys rampaging through my yard. It’s the least they can do for all the damage they cause.

If the struggling economy is truly keeping people from observing Thanksgiving, it’s time for another government giveaway in keeping with the holiday. I know the national debt is $31 trillion, but if the government can’t give every U.S. citizen and wannabe citizen a Butterball turkey or better, then the government should at least buy us Marie Callander frozen turkey dinners with stuffing, mashed potatoes, beans and carrots and throw in a piece of pumpkin pie from Whole Foods. (Although I prefer the creme brûlée.)

We all know the true purpose of Thanksgiving isn’t to stuff our bellies; it’s to give thanks to the Creator because, believe it or not, America has a lot to be thankful for. Yes, we’re divided, and yes, the divisions are made worse by our leaders. This means people have to unite on their own and stop following the course politicians set.

In “Thanksgiving: The Holiday at the Heart of the American Experience,” Melanie Kirkpatrick described the 19th century campaign by activist Sarah Josepha Hale to make Thanksgiving a national holiday during a time of unprecedented divisions in our country.

“She anticipated that the holiday would bind together the northern and southern halves of the fracturing nation,” Kirkpatrick wrote. “And after the Civil War, Thanksgiving helped bring the country together in another way. It became a potent symbol of national unity amid growing ethnic, religious and racial diversity of the American people.”

Almost 175 years later, that’s still our greatest need. So celebrate Thanksgiving. Celebrate Thanksgiving with your family, your friends, your enemies. Celebrate Thanksgiving with Republicans, Democrats, Independents, libertarians, anarchists and everybody in between. (Just tell them to shut up about politics.)

Yes, times are hard, but our parents and grandparents had it a lot worse, and they still gave thanks, even during the decade of deprivation known as the Great Depression. And let’s not forget the hardships endured by the Pilgrims, who landed at Plymouth in 1620 and inspired the holiday.

There’s a Thanksgiving tradition known as the “Legend of the Five Kernels,” which offers a lesson modern America desperately needs. As the story goes, dozens of Pilgrim settlers died from sickness and starvation over several dreadful winters.

According to the legend, in 1623 a severe drought caused a famine, and William Bradford, the leader of the colony, compared their situation to the ancient Romans’, who at one point were forced to survive on a daily ration of five kernels of corn, which was all the Pilgrims had to eat on some days.

The following year, the harvest improved. From then, every Thanksgiving they began their feast with five kernels of dried corn to remind them to be thankful and trust in providence.

The tradition spread throughout New England, where it was customary to put out five kernels, each of which had a special significance:

“The first kernel reminds us of the autumn beauty all around.

The second kernel reminds us of the freedom we hold dearly.

The third kernel reminds us of our love for one another.

The fourth kernel reminds us of our friends, especially our Native American brothers and sisters.

The fifth kernel reminds us of God’s love and care for us.”

The likely origin of the practice dates back 200 years to the bicentennial celebration of the Pilgrim landing. Statesman Daniel Webster spoke on Forefathers’ Day, and after his speech, there was a sumptuous dinner. On each elegant china plate were five kernels of parched corn as a reminder of those intrepid first families, who had little to eat but had enormous faith.

A popular poem published in 1898 proclaimed:

“Five Kernels of Corn!

Five Kernels of Corn!

The nation gives thanks for Five Kernels of Corn!

To the Thanksgiving Feast bring Five Kernels of Corn!”

So have a happy and thankful Thanksgiving.