Thanksgiving Dragon

Today is Thanksgiving in the USA. Traditionally many US families gather to celebrate together on this day, but this year we are quietly observing the day in ones and twos, on video calls and Zoom calls, trying to hold back the waves of Covid-19 that kill more of us every day.

As Heather Cox Richardson explains, the holiday was established by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. It has nothing to do with "Pilgrim" settlers and Native Americans, but with the struggle of slaveholders to separate from the USA so they could continue their practice of enslaving other human beings, and with the north's determination to preserve the "union." We have never healed from this split.

I am spending a quiet day with Sue, texting my offspring as she does the same with her offspring and siblings. This morning Evan, who is five and a half, drew and colored a picture of a dragon to celebrate the day his way. His dad sent me the drawing, which I post here with gratitude for my friends in England and Wales for the ways they have supported Evan's fascination with dragons. The Welsh flag sent by Ceridwen still hangs in Evan's bedroom and is the likely model for this drawing.

I support gratitude in all its forms, and I am grateful to be here and grateful for all of you.