Next week America will be celebrating the uniquely American holiday of Thanksgiving. It’s one of my favorite days of the year. I love having a house full of family and friends. Sure there is a noise level that is the equivalent of one of Elon Musk’s Space X rockets roaring into space and with about half of the 40 plus people sharing the meal, and half of them being under the age of 16, food will be flying like the food fight scene in Animal House. But it's a wonderful time to see family from both near and far. It’s wonderful to enjoy some traditional dishes like the dressing that goes with the turkey. Too bad it’s only served once a year.
But beyond the noise and flying food, I love the reminder that of all the things I’m thankful for, I am genuinely thankful to be an American. I’ve had the privilege of traveling all over the world. I’ve witnessed first-hand some remarkable cultures, scenery, and architecture. I’ve observed all kinds of governments from democracies to tyrannies. But I’ve never been to a place I thought measured up to the United States of America and I am thankful that by God’s grace, I was born here and have been blessed to raise my family here.
We hear the big-talk of celebrities who say they are going to “LEAVE THE COUNTRY!” because the election didn’t go they way they wanted. Fine. Please do go. If these Hollywood “holier than thou’s” are so petulant that they would forfeit their liberties in the United States because the majority of their fellow citizens voted differently, then it would be truly wonderful if they did leave. I even thought about starting a Go-Fund me site to collect money to purchase 1-way tickets for the celebrities who say they will leave. Let’s not let the cost of an airline ticket be an impediment to their “JOY” that apparently disappeared the failure of Kamala Harris and a 1 billion dollar campaign fund to defeat Donald Trump. Some of us were glad about the election, but even in elections I wasn’t glad about, such as the 2020 election, I never contemplated moving out of the country over it.
As you are enjoying a family feast on Thanksgiving, be sure and take a few moments to reflect upon how good you have it in America. Thank God you can worship Him without government permission. Thank God you can still exercise free speech and express your beliefs, even if they are just plain crazy. Thank God you can start your life in poverty, but through hard work, a good education, and taking risks, you can rise above your starting line and live a life of prosperity and security. Thank God that you get to choose what kind of job you will have to support yourself and you can move to a different place if you want to, again without getting the approval of the government.
America isn’t perfect, but how could it be with people like us living here? But it is country where we pick our leaders, get to participate in the process of our Republic, and get to express our dissatisfaction with those we elect. Even our Founders acknowledged we weren’t perfect but said we would work toward “a MORE perfect union,” even though we’re still not there yet.
Enjoy the turkey, ham, chicken, or brisket this week. Savor the presence of your family and the fact they are willing to still speak to you. And for some family members, you only have to put up with them once a year!
From all of us here at the Huckabee Show, we wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving, and thank you for being part of our viewing family. And for tolerating the real turkey on our show—the host!