As well, this holiday is a time when safety and health are paramount. According to ABC news, here are the five top health hazards to avoid. This year, the National Safety Council predicted, there will be 418 traffic fatalities and another 44,700 injuries from car crashes over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. More than 40 percent of holiday car accidents involve alcohol, according to the National Highway Safety Association.
Secondly, overindulging on turkey day wine, especially if
you’re older and obese, can disrupt regular heart rhythms leading to “Holiday
Heart Syndrome” an American Heart Journal study showed way back in 1978. Further
strain on the ticker comes from digesting a massive meal. As a recent
University of California study found, cheering for a losing football team
resulted in a 15 percent spike in heart attacks among men and a 27 percent
spike among women.
Third, More than 4,000 fires occur on Thanksgiving Day,
U.S. Fire Administration statistics revealed. One culprit: Deep-fried turkeys.
Each year, they cause approximately five deaths, 60 injuries, the destruction
of 900 homes and more than $15 million in property damage, the National Fire
Protection Association reported.
And fourth, Americans will consume 51 million turkeys on
Thursday, Food Safety News reported. And if the bird isn’t fresh or properly
cooked, many of them also risk serving up a side of salmonella. Cooking to an
internal temperature of 165 degrees is the best way to avoid poisoning, FSN
advised. As for leftovers, store them within two hours or toss them.
And finally, because turkey bones splinter, they can may
choke dogs or cats, the Veterinary Medical Association warned. Dogs should also
be kept away from any dish that contains onions, leeks or garlic because they
are known to damage canine red blood cells. Likewise, raisins and grapes can
induce kidney failure. And chocolate, especially vast amounts of the
dark variety, can lead to serious gastrointestinal symptoms and even death in
dogs.
So, the need to
stay safe and healthy goes beyond just celebrating good food, good drink, and
good family and friends. There is a deeper meaning to the reason for
Thanksgiving.
In 1789,
George Washington, a freshly minted first President and Father of a new nation,
proclaimed a time to be set aside for all Americans to honor God in a time to
give thanks for the blessings bestowed on a country that was brand new, and
that had just come through almost a decade of war with its former parent
nation, Great Britain. Still searching for a new identity as the United States
of America, the population of three million new citizens were looking for a
cohesive way to make it in the world.
According
to The Heritage Organization, following a resolution of Congress, President
George Washington proclaimed Thursday the 26th of November 1789 a day of
“public thanksgiving and prayer” devoted to “the service of that great and
glorious Being who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is,
or that will be.”
Reflecting
American religious practice, Presidents and Congresses from the beginning of
the republic have from time to time designated days of fasting and thanksgiving
(the Thanksgiving holiday we continue to celebrate in November was established
by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War and made into law by Congress in 1941).
In setting
aside a day for Thanksgiving, Washington established a non-sectarian tone for
these devotions and stressed political, moral, and intellectual blessings that
make self-government possible, in addition to personal and national repentance.
Although the First Amendment prevents Congress from establishing a religion or
prohibiting its free exercise, Presidents, as well as Congress, have always
recognized the American regard for sacred practices and beliefs.
Transcending
passionate quarrels over the proper role of religion in politics, the
Thanksgiving Proclamation reminds us how natural their relationship has been.
While church and state are separate, religion and politics, in their American
refinement, prop each other up. Here is the proclamation:
“By the
President of the United States of America, a Proclamation.
Whereas it
is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to
obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His
protection and favor; and—Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint
committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a day
of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with
grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording
them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their
safety and happiness:”
Now,
therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next,
to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and
glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is,
or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere
and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this
country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold
mercies and the favor, able interpositions of His providence in the course and
conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and
plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in
which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our
safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;
for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we
have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the
great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.
And also
that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to
the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and
other trangressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations,
to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render
our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a
Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully
executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations
(especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good
governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true
religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and,
generally, to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He
alone knows to be best.
Given
under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of
our Lord 1789.
Go.
Washington”
As you gather together to celebrate your blessings this holiday, give
thanks for both the tangible and intangible rewards you enjoy each day. Teach
your children and grandchildren the true meaning of Thanksgiving and why it is
such an important occasion. Take time to reflect on your blessings, and why you
are thankful. Give thanks to God for what He has provided no matter how much or
how little you have. Don’t take it for granted. After all, you could be living
in a country that is totally clueless about this time of year. What a shame
that they miss all the blessings of life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness.
HAPPY
THANKSGIVING!
Until next
time.
