From the Porch
What a holiday
Dwight Otwell

This newspaper is being published between two holidays, Veterans Day and Thanksgiving.

I have heard many people claim that Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday, because it is a "pure" day devoid of all of the commercialism equated with Christmas. I like it because of that fact too.

Veterans Day goes right along with Thanksgiving, because we should all be thankful for our veterans. It was great to see how individual Cherokee County schools held Veterans Day programs to honor those who are serving or have served in the military and to remember with great respect those from the Armed Forces who have died in the service of our country.

The Veterans Day program at Memorial Park in Murphy, as always, was inspiring. To some people, it isn't cool to be patriotic. But I think it isn't cool to worry about what you think is cool.

It is a fact that veterans and those presently in the Armed Forces of the United States are doing a great service for us. What kind of country would we have if we didn't have a military? We would probably be subservient to some other country. We wouldn't enjoy all of the freedoms that we have become accustomed to, such as the right to speak our opinions about practically anything. We don't have to agree with the government and we can vociferously announce that disagreement without fear of being thrown in prison.

I love Thanksgiving because it doesn't involve an extreme amount of preparation. You simply have to shop for a meal and prepare it. For us, it always involves a nice meal with relatives and sometimes friends.

In 1621 the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast which is now known as the first Thanksgiving.

Historians aren't completely certain about the full menu on that first Thanksgiving but it's safe to say the pilgrims weren't dining on pumpkin pie.

The only two items that historians know for sure were on the menu are venison and wild fowl,

We all have so much to be thankful for, even if all we have for Thanksgiving dinner is a bologna sandwich. We can thank the Lord for the very air we breathe and the awareness we have of the world around