During the next 4 days I will share reflections and images related to Thanksgiving, especially in view of the fact that materialism and consumerism is just about ready to destroy this meaningful holiday. It has become one of my favorite celebrations, when I encourage people and parishioners to bow their heads in prayer and thank their Creator for so many blessing received. One of the artists that has given us memorable paintings and posters about Thanksgiving is Norman Rockwell, especially through his Saturday Evening Post posters. I share with you two of them today, one , the other a little humorous. The poster above shows an old lady bowing her head in prayer before her meal, with two young men inquisitively looking at her, but getting a lesson in what Thanksgiving is all about. Her grandson is also joining in prayer, waiting for his turn to dig into the turkey.
This second poster from 1928 shows a contrast in how Americans visualize Thanksgiving Day. As we all remember the pilgrims who came to America, most Americans today have transformed the image of the pilgrim with a typical football player, as 2 football games used to be played on this day, traditionally one in Detroit and the other in Dallas. Over the past few years, yet a third game has been added, so that people can watch football from 9 AM till 9 PM, in between munching on the turkey, the stuffing and cranberry sauce, besides of course....pumpkin pies, at least for those who like them.
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