Joshua Samson
Humphreys, Korea
What is the first thing you immediately think of when Thanksgiving is brought up? You may think of the turkey, the cranberry sauce, or the time spent together with your family. When you take the time to think about the holiday, the holiday is actually about being grateful for what you have. This dates back to the time of the Pilgrims.
When the Pilgrims landed in the Massachusetts area, they founded the Plymouth Colony. During the winter, most crops died, so they would have to go for a long time with little to no food, so in 1621, after a year since they first arrived, they hosted the first Thanksgiving to express their gratitude for the successful harvest by consuming the food they had farmed and harvested. Gratitude matters because it helps us understand that we are lucky to have what we currently have in the first place. Many people are not grateful for what they have because they want more. They want stuff that others have, but they don’t realize that what they have right now is already a lot and that they should appreciate what they have.
If I was asked the question of what I was grateful for, the thing on the top of my list would be my family. Of course, this is a common answer to this question, but I will explain. Millions of children around the world have lost one or both parents. They have to go through the trauma of losing the people who cared for them before they can even become adults. I am grateful to still have both of my parents alive and well because many children around the world have lost their parents.
The second item on my list of the things that I’m grateful for is that I have more than enough food to live a healthy life. Millions of children around the world aren’t getting enough to eat every day and have to go about their lives hungry. Food is an important part of your life and enough food every day can affect your life greatly. I am thankful that I get more than enough food to lead a healthy life.
It’s always important to understand that Thanksgiving isn’t just about the turkey or the cranberry sauce, it’s about the thanks we give to others in our lives. Thanksgiving originated from the Pilgrims giving thanks for the first good harvest. We should thank everyone that has helped us in our lives on Thanksgiving because that’s what Thanksgiving is all about; giving thanks. Joshua Samson, 6th grade