Happy Thanksgiving!

When I think of Thanksgiving I often picture this. I know I'm not alone, it is pretty iconic.

Freedom From Want, Norman Rockwell c. March 6, 1943

On the surface, it's totally unrealistic. If everyone was smiling like that around our table I would be worried that they were all on crack or something! This is typical Norman Rockwell--it's nostalgic and happy and very American. It's why he is so well loved.

But look closer. The look on the Grandmother's face says alot.


She isn't beaming. Her lips are pursed and she is concentrating pretty hard on that turkey (which must weigh a ton, it's huge.) She looks tired too, but not because of cooking she has been doing in the kitchen-- all that silver on the table clearly shows that this isn't her first rodeo! No, she looks like she is worrying about someone who isn't there.

She wasn't alone in her worry. The millions of Americans who saw this picture in the Saturday Evening Post on March 6, 1943 were worrying about the same thing. They would worrying about their husbands, fathers, sons, and brothers fighting in Europe, North Africa and the Pacific. They were worrying about the Germans as they marched across Europe, gobbling up both lives and precious liberty. The cost of such a wonderful American life is painted right there on her face.

So give thanks for our military this year and say a little prayer for those that are missing their loved ones today. They are fighting for our freedom and the freedom of those abroad, just as they were on March 6, 1943. We need to remember to be grateful for their sacrifice.

Happy Thanksgiving.