I went over to school yesterday to review the Kindergarten’s wonderful POWOW of songs, prayers and food! They did such a great job and their costumes which they made themselves looked authentic.
Thanksgiving is one of our nation’s best holidays! Putting the food aside just for a moment, the day brings back so many national and family ideals: hospitality to strangers, helping those who have less than we, being gratitude to God for our lives, our families and our communities.
I was reminded of my own familial connection with this feast. My mother’s home town is Plymouth, England. When you walk through the old part of town there is a shrine on one of the docks that commemorates where the Mayflower moored waiting for its passengers to board before sailing to America.
Since my mother came directly to Philadelphia with the sole purpose of marrying my father at the end of World War II – she was an immigrant. My father’s father had come to Philadelphia from Italy when he was sixteen years old. In each case there were people who helped make these two feel at home in their new home; there were people willing to be friend and true neighbors and helped the Cioppi family become who they are today.
The gift of Thanksgiving is gratitude after all, and we show that is by being hospitable around the table, sitting together in the living room listening and talking with each other, not on our cells, and sharing with each other our lives, our spirits and our love.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with all the trimmings: laughter, love and yes good food and prayer to God, for His bountiful goodness to us all.

Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy Gifts which we are about to receive from Thy Bounty through Christ our Lord. Amen!