Thanksgiving at Loma under pine trees

One day I heard about the history of thanksgiving in school and I was so excited because I wanted to share it with my grandpa. As soon as I got back from school, I saw him working on the land so I decided to take him some water. He was resting under some pine trees, so I sat next to him while he drank his water. "Grandpa, I learned in school about Thanksgiving. Why did you never told me about this beautiful story?", I asked him. "I am sorry my child but I did not wanted to tell you a lie", He responded. I asked him, "What do you mean grandpa?" He explained,"The story you heard it did not happen that way. They did not share their food with us, it was us who shared our food with them because they were dying and we thought them how to survive here in our lands." A cold feeling ran through my spine, I was shocked. Still bewildered, I asked "Did we celebrated this holiday before they got here grandpa?" I will never forget what he told me next. He told me, "Yes and here is what I want you to remember. We celebrate thanksgiving every sunrise, every sunset, when we sit down to eat, when we hear the birds singing, when we see the rain falling from the sky, even when we make a fire to cook our food and keep us warm in the cold winter. We need to be thankful for every single breath of life, for our families, for the land that is provided for us, for these trees that we rest under, for the water you came up to bring me, for our health for the beauty and the love within us all and around us. That's why we make ceremonies to love and respect one another. This is why we live in harmony with the earth and our ancestor, through the sacred calendar and out traditions. The celebration of thanksgiving has been commercialized to make money and the true story behind it is has been hidden, but imagine if society did not not assign a day to be thankful. Do you think people would arrange gatherings with their love ones and friends? Some people need to be reminded and be told about these things, my little boy. Most people will go through life believing these lies because the truth is too painful to accept."

Juan Errante