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Why we Celebrate Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is an annual, national holiday on the 4th Thursday in November. It is celebrated in both the United States and Canada, however, Canada celebrates it on the second Monday in October. President Abraham Lincoln made it a national holiday in 1863, in an attempt to unite the war-torn country after the Civil War.

Tradition has it that the first Thanksgiving took place in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1621, between the Wampanoag Indians and the Pilgrims. They did not actually call it Thanksgiving. The celebration lasted three days sometime between mid-September and early November. They held the feast to celebrate the harvest of multicolored flint corn and other blessings they had received since their arrival in America.

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Celebrating Thanksgiving after Tragedy

A feast of Thanksgiving food

Thanksgiving is a time of giving thanks for your blessings and we don’t think about it as a time of tragedy. But this year there will be many people that will be in the midst of or just getting beyond a tragedy. And they will have to decide if they will be celebrating Thanksgiving after tragedy.

So many things could happen to stop or delay your Thanksgiving celebration. A death in the family can cause you to cancel it for the year or postphone it a few days or weeks. Or maybe you will be having a small meal at your home. And other family members will do the same or gather with other friends and family.

If someone in the family is hospitalized or just released from the hospital it may cause you to change the plans.

A very unexpected tragedy could be the loss of the home where you gather due to flooding, a fire, or a hurricane.

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2021 Goals Update October

2021 Goals October Update

Here is my list for 2021

  1. No progress: Complete our front yard landscaping. This is an absolute must since it’s carried over from last year. Unfortunately, this waits for my husband to instal sprinklers, so I don’t have much control over it.
  2. Progress: Lose 5 pounds. I lowered this, but since I ended the year up instead of down, I will lose 5 pounds from my beginning weight of 2020, not 2021. I am currently losing weight. In July, I started the old system I used, and I have made progress!! In September, I felt like I had hit a plateau. So I have started using Noom. I am losing weight again. And I’m excited
  3. Progress: Ancestry: Type up the list I already have started on my mom’s mother’s side. Contact at least 2 cousins. I have contacted two cousins; however, they have not answered me back.
  4. Progress: Read 45 books. I have finished 41books. I am on track to make this one, easily.
  5. Completed: Ride my bike. I did it on July 23 – it was a bit wobbly and I will have to practice my turning, but I did it. I overcame my fear.
  6. Completed: Visit three states that I have not visited before. In September we finished our travel to Oklahoma, Nebraska and Kansas.
  7. Progress: Complete 3 quilts. I’m doing much better than last year. I have three baby quilts cut out already. My only progress this month was to buy fabric for the backing of the quilt, that I have yet to sew. I have sewn one – it is now about 3/4 done. Instead of all baby, I might get working on a quilt for my son-in-law and one for my daughter-in-law. Maybe next year.
  8. Progress: Walk 1000 miles. I’m not as far as I should be. I have walked 523 miles. This has been something I have attempted this for 3 years and never reached it, but this year is my worst and I’m not quite sure why. This year it is in writing, so I had hoped I will complete it at last. However, I think I might have to give up on this.

In October, I read 5books. I am making progress on my weight. I am down about 8 pounds since I started Noom. I’ll continue doing that for the rest of the year, I hope, but Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming and I tend to eat more then. Doesn’t everybody? I’m sure Noom will give me guidance.

Nebraska – Amazing Things to Do

Beautiful places to go in Nebraska

A friend of mine was surprised that Phil and I were going to spend three days in Nebraska. “What is there to do in Nebraska?” he asked.

I had already made my plans, hotel reservations, and fun places to visit. So we went forward on our trip, knowing I could show my friend many places to visit. And we did. In fact, after seeing Nebraska, I thought I could enjoy living there, except maybe in the winter. So join me on our mini-tour of Nebraska. Remember that we were limited on the number of days we spent there, but I hit nearly everything I wanted to see.

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