Food for Thought

Giving Thanks for the Courageous Men and Women Who Speak Out

50 Comments

In the United States, next Thursday is Thanksgiving, a holiday that is not without controversy. I expect for Native Americans, the arrival of the Pilgrims was not something to celebrate. Yet to set aside a day to give thanks is not a bad thing, and that is what we focus on while not forgetting the past.

Because we are vegetarians, we don’t eat the traditional Thanksgiving turkey. Instead, I will make stuffed shells, something we all love. I have never cared much for traditional Thanksgiving food, and to my way of thinking, stuffed shells are a big improvement.

However, I will still be making pumpkin bread, a favorite in this house.

I have already put together—made is probably too grand a word—a peppermint ice cream pie with hot fudge. Waiting for Thanksgiving, it sits in the freezer.

Our daughter Dee, from New York, will be coming to Maine on Tuesday to join us. (Unfortunately, our North Carolina daughter and son-in-law live too far away to come home for this short holiday weekend.) As always, it will be great to have Dee here, and we will have a jolly time of movies and good things to eat. Therefore, I will be taking a week off from the blog and will return on November 25.

Because this is a blog about home, books, friends, and living in place, I don’t often mention politics. However, longtime readers will know that I am a progressive who, like many others, has been incredibly pained by the direction this country has taken with the election of President Trump.  For the past three years, I have felt battered by the coarse language, the hatred, and the actions coming from those at the top.

This week there were impeachment hearings investigating President Trump’s actions regarding Ukraine. Brave men and women from the State Department have stepped forward to testify, revealing a pattern of an abuse of power from those who should not only know better but also do better.

The men and women who have testified have received dire threats and still they speak out. To these courageous women and men, I give thanks. Their bravery shines forth as an example, urging us all to hold on to our convictions even when it might be dangerous for us to do so.

 

 

 

50 thoughts on “Giving Thanks for the Courageous Men and Women Who Speak Out”

  1. Wishing you a very happy Thanksgiving, Laurie.
    If you feel like sharing, I would love the recipe for your Stuffed Shells and your Peppermint Icecream Fudge pie.
    My husband has had the impeachment hearing coverage on straight through. I agree with you about the bravery of those who came forward.

    1. The pie is ridiculously easy. I bought a chocolate cookie pie shell, heated a jar of hot fudge, and spread a layer of hot fudge over the bottom of the shell. Onto top of the hot fudge went peppermint ice cream—again, bought from a store—that I had let soften for ten minutes on the counter. I dropped it in small clumps and then smoothed with my hands/spoon. After that, drizzled hot fudge on top and into the freezer. You could up the ante by making the shell, the ice cream, and the hot fudge. In the past, I have done so, but now that I am so focused on writing my books, I take short cuts with cooking. 😉 After the holidays, I will post the recipe for the stuffed shells on my blog.

    1. We sure do! One of my readers suggested these brave defenders might be Times Person(s) of the Year. Fingers crossed. This administration needs every rebuke possible.

  5. A long time ago, we were enjoined to count our blessings. I prefer to call it maintaining an attitude of gratitude. We can make things better, both in good times and bad. In good times, we can be grateful for the joy of living. In bad times, we can be grateful that the situation isn’t worse!

  8. Totally agree. There is so much corruption in the current administration, and we need the likes of Alexander Vindman and Fiona Hill to speak the truth. I can’t wait to see Time’s Person of the Year. I think it’ll be a photocollage of those brave people who testified, with a big whistle in the middle! (My grandmother, mother and many other relatives are from the same part of England as Fiona Hill. I posted on Facebook: “Don’t mess with a Yorkshirewoman!”)

    1. Great points! And yay for those Yorkshirewomen! Vindman and Hill are profiles in courage, and I sure hope they make it to the cover of Time, as you suggested.

    1. I know. Sigh. But big as those hordes are, they are a minority and we can outvote them. In your state, Trump won by an astonishingly small number of votes. Every vote really does count.

  10. I am astonished that so many in your country support a misogynistic, narcissistic, liar – and WE HAVE ONE TOO!!!! (Johnson in the UK) What on earth is happening in the world!?
    Hurray for those who speak out.
    Have a wonderful time with your daughter Laurie – thankfully we still have so much to be thankful for. ❤

    1. I know. Sigh. It is inconceivable to me, too. The only good thing that has come out of this sorry mess is that now we know how many of those voters are out there. When Obama was president, progressives were lulled into thinking things were better than they were. Can’t pretend anymore. Lots of reasons why there are so many Trump and Johnson supporters. My one consolation is that there are more of us than there are of them. We need to get out there and VOTE for whatever flawed candidate it will be who runs against these authoritarians. As I noted in another comment, Trump won by an astonishingly small number of votes in certain states. Every vote really does count.

  11. I have to confess that I have relegated politics to the file for ‘things I can do nothing about’. I scan the headlines on line every day just in case World War 3 has been declared or the Queen has died and I could make a serious conversational blunder if I did not know! They make me cringe at the attitude I see. I will vote in the election because I see it as my civic duty but I have never voted for a winning candidate. Meanwhile giving thanks for the good stuff and the brave people who do engage in trying to clean up the mess is something I do do.. Enjoy your holiday. I love the idea of celebrating but in your own way! I think it is time to create some new rituals in my house too.

    1. It can get very discouraging when it comes to politics. The tides always seem to be against us. On the other hand, in this country, Trump won by astonishingly small numbers in certain states, and this indicates that every vote does indeed count. So onward, ho! Even we little folks must do what we can.

  13. Wishing you a magical time with your family Laurie and the pie looks delicious! A big thank you to all who speak out for the greater good and celebrate the value of honesty 🤗💖 xxx

  15. Have a wonderful time with your daughter – lovely food and lots of films sound ‘the business’ to me.
    Pardon my ignorance, but what are ‘stuffed shells’?

    1. Thanks so much! Stuffed shells are big pasta, shaped like, well, shells. Into those shells go ricotta cheese, mozzarella, basil, and egg. Then the whole thing is smothered with pasta sauce, baked, and topped with Parmesan cheese. One of my favorites!

  16. Hope you have a great week with your family… and your ice cream!
    I have watched with interest the reports from the impeachment hearings this past week. I just hope that this is the start of things improving in the US… and that the UK will follow (we are in despair here too).

  17. Well said, Laurie! There is much too much abuse of power all over the world (not a new thing by any means) and we need brave men and women to set us a good example by trying to tell these virtual dictators that we disapprove of their behaviour.
    Have a very happy and peaceful Thanksgiving! xo

  19. I wish you and your family a wonderful time together, Laurie. It is good to remind ourselves of the reasons to be thankful, and to speak out against whatever is bad and wrong.

  21. Have a good holiday. Kitchen shortcuts are wonderful things which add to human happiness and the production of literature. They are not to be confused with politicians which are none of those things and probably taste unpleasant too.

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