One Woman's Crusade for One Thanksgiving

October 3, 1863 President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving as a national holiday to be celebrated the last Thursday in November.  He believed that even during war, we can count our blessings. But it was the relentless efforts of one woman, Sarah Hale, who for 17 years wrote to 5 presidents, numerous congressmen and governors lobbying to unify the country with one national day  of Thanksgiving.  Up until then, some states celebrated a day of Thanksgiving and some did not.  Sarah Hale was a young widow with 5 children who ran a business making hats for women to support her family.  She also began writing books and poetry.  She went on to become the editor of our nations' #1 women's magazine becoming the Oprah of her time.  She wrote a number of editorials supplying recipes for the Thanksgiving dinner we enjoyed this past week: turkey, stuffing,pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes.  Be inspired to keep the joys and benefits of sitting around the family dinner table week in and week out as you ponder these words of Sarah Hale from her book "Manners: Or, Happy Homes and Good Society All the Year Round" 1868- from the chapter "Our National Thanksgiving."  "Such social rejoicings tend greatly to expand the generous feelings of our nature, and strengthen the bond of union that binds us brothers and sisters in that true sympathy of American patriotism...This recreative joyousness, this return, if you please, to the gayeties of childhood, is good for the soul.  It sweetens the temper, it brightens hope, increases our love for each other, and faith in the goodness of God."

And the rest of the story- Sarah Hale was the author of "Mary Had a little Lamb."

Repeatability

It is Thanksgiving week and we in this country have so much to be thankful for.  Our girls start arriving tomorrow.  My family is so excited about getting everyone together under one roof.  Thanksgiving is also a very special meal.  This is one week we all start planning, making shopping lists, and blocking off time to cook.  A great deal of effort goes into the Thanksgiving dinner- we look forward to this special time and the memories last.  Tom Nordland is a basketball shooting expert and coach from California.  "The few great shooters of today and yesterday mastered simple things, not complicated motions.  Improved shooting is now possible for everybody in the game, and mastery is available to those who sincerely dedicate themselves to it." (EzineArticles)  In an article titled "Basketball Shooting: How to Get Accuracy, Consistency and Repeatability", Norland defines repeatability as "the name we give to a motion that is so learned and mastered it can go on automatic."  So how can we get repeatability into our cooking motion?  Take a page out of the Thanksgiving playbook.  Master the simple things: 1) Find simple recipes that excite your taste buds. 2) Write down a meal plan and shopping list. 3) Set aside time to create and cook.  Get into your zone and play your favorite music knowing you are doing something special for yourself and your family. 4) Make it repeatable.  Sunday is your day to plan and write out your grocery list, Monday is the day to shop and Tuesday night is your time to cook.  If you want to do all the cooking, have a month of family favorites in rotation with a goal of trying one new recipe a month.  Or try a cooking co-op which forces repeatability because when your dinner is delivered Monday and Tuesday night, it is your turn to cook Tuesday night and deliver on Wednesday.  One highlight of the Thanksgiving meal is the tremendous variety- turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, cranberry salad, gravy, green beans, rolls, biscuits, and 3 different deserts.  I have found that without variety, I eat more than necessary trying to satisfy that craving for "something special to the taste and senses." And maybe, in part,  we eat too much at Thanksgiving because it is rare to have such a wide range of choices.  Get the weekly cooking motion going that is so learned and mastered, it is on automatic.   Then family dinners can start shooting the lights out and scoring in an area that really matters.

Why Were Family Kitchens the First to be Destroyed?

The Wall Street Journal(Oct. 27-28,2012) in it's book review of "The Great Famine in China 1958-1962" by Zhou Xun described how Mao Zedong's drive to make China an industrial giant resulted in the deaths of 45 million people.  Mao's goal was to turn China into a "communist utopia and leading industrial nation."  Mao started the "Great Leap Forward" by turning the country into 26,000 communes.  With the help of the military, these communes became work-slave brigades.  Mao's rallying cry was: "go all out, aim high, and achieve greater, faster, better and more economical results in socialist construction."  "Family kitchens were destroyed; even utensils were taken over by the commune or fed to "backyard furnaces" and melted down into useless iron lumps.  All food was served in canteens and distributed according to merit; for the uncooperative, starvation was the punnishment of first resort.  When food ran out the canteen closed and peasants were left to scavenge." Mao went on to say "We can start communism with food, clothes and housing.  Collective canteens, free food, that is communism."  In 1962, Mao was politically outmaneuvered. "The communes were dismantled and China's peasants were able to cultivate and grow and cook their own food once more.  Harvests improved dramatically."  So why were family kitchens the first to be destroyed?  Did not even want to leave reminders, such as utensils, of a more civilized way to eat.  Perhaps we take the freedom to grow and cook our own food for granted.  Perhaps we do not realize how vital it is to our own well-being and our community to cook and eat family meals together.  70% of those applying to our military do not qualify and the #1 reason is fitness- obesity.  The studies show more meals eaten at home result in more fruits and vegetables consumed.  It is important to ourselves to be healthy.  It is important to our national security to have more than 30% applicants qualify.  Family kitchens are vital to the well-being of America.