Thursday, November 23, 2006

Happy Thanksgiving!


I did a bit of knitting today so I could post a picture that actually has to do with our craft! I cast on for Celia's Picot Trimmed Ankle socks. This pair will have the Welsh heel - in honor of Shirani & Martin, and a flat toe.

This is the first year EVER that I have not had a houseful for dinner, so while I am not quite so frenzied in the kitchen (the turkey's in, - it's Plum Glazed this year - the giblet stock is simmering) it is AWFULLY quiet here...

The thing I love about this most American of holidays, is that for one day, all over this country, we sit together to share a meal, literally or figuratively, with family and friends, and to celebrate the same thing: our common American heritage and our thankfulness that the America of our forefathers continues to thrive today with as much promise as existed back in 1620 when a tiny, tired band of hopeful pilgrims first stepped ashore onto Plymouth Rock. (Okay, yes I'm a New Englander...Jamestown was first in 1607!!)

Whether our family arrived on these shores yesterday, or 400 years ago, we all came to America with the same hopes and dreams of what freedom has to offer and what a people, united in the belief that all men and woman are created equal, can accomplish. That we came from all over the world and brought with us our different knitting traditions and skills is just one of the perks for us, the knitting obsessed!! (See, I'm keeping this relevant...)

The poet Emma Lazarus, gives us this:

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

The invitation America has always offered to anyone willing to accept it. With so much ugliness in the world today, I think it bears remembering these lines; this invitation; this promise of America. Just one of the many things we can be thankful for today!

So here's the question. Do you know where you can find this very visible poem??

Think about it while you enjoy your turkey dinner. Ponder it while you curl up with your knitting tonight. Let me know if you come up with the answer!

Yours in yarn,
Claire

1 comment:

Theresa said...

The Statue of Liberty, of course. A gift from the French, of all people. And one of the best things about Thanksgiving, in my opinion, is getting a long list of knitted gifts people want for Christmas. It could be a long month . . .