Cover Story: Rethinking Thanksgiving to Remember our Native Neighbors

Resources for Remembrance and Reconnection

Perhaps the American culture surrounding Thanksgiving now is so far from its roots in the 1600s that questions about our “American” relationships with our continent’s original residents have become irrelevant. There’s a strong argument that American Thanksgiving culture now focuses overwhelmingly on food, family, sports and early Christmas shopping. At this point, for millions of Americans, our moral responsibility to our Indigenous neighbors is far from the front of our hearts and minds on the holiday. In this week’s ReadTheSpirit Cover Story, we look at the roots of that disconnection—and share resources for remembrance and reconnection. Please share this cover story with friends, this week.

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From our writers …

Shauna Weil

Looking for Joy, When Grief Bowls Us Over—Again

IN OUR WE ARE CAREGIVERS SECTION, this week, musician and writer Shauna Weil explores the long tail of grief, which can remain with us long after we experience a loss. In writing about the death of her mother a year ago, Shauna also urges us to look for moments of joy that can break through such somber memories. She urges readers not to be afraid of sharing such memories—and such occasional surprises when a joyous moment shines through.

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Bill Tammeus

How far Americans have traveled (and haven’t) on race.

JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR BILL TAMMEUS regularly writes one of the most insightful online columns about the interconnections between religion and headline news. One column you will want to share with friends manages to cover two themes related to race in America. This column begins with a salute to the wisdom of James Weldon Johnson, whose many accomplishments included the “Black National Anthem,” Lift Every Voice and Sing. Bill quotes from a commentary Johnson wrote about the painful chasm of racial attitudes in this country. Then—Bill shifts gears and writes about the many wise gifts our Indigenous neighbors can give us when it comes to strategies for coping with climate change. That section of his column also links to news coverage of an Indigenous COP26 event that most American news media did not cover. Also, he recommends a great book for further reading, Braiding Sweetgrass. Yes, indeed, there’s a wealth of wisdom in this one column! Go share it with friends, please.

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Larry Buxton

‘Character Is a Movie’

LEADING WITH SPIRIT is the name of Larry Buxton’s weekly series of short videos, which are guaranteed to give us all a fresh perspective on the moral challenges of daily living. This week, Larry gives us a fascinating metaphor for “character” that provides compassionate room to forgive all of us for occasional failings as we struggle toward doing good in the world. You’ll likely want to share this video with friends, which is easy to do because Larry hosts them on his website—and also offers them through YouTube for easy connection to your social media.

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Ken and Kathy Whitt

Making Applesauce with Grandma Kathy

AND—SPEAKING OF MOVIES! Our author Ken Whitt and his wife Kathy live in Ohio in a home that they are rapidly adapting for natural sustainability. If you want to learn more about that fascinating project, just get a copy of Ken’s book God Is Just Love from Amazon. Meanwhile, Ken and Kathy have been experimenting with a whole series of videos that they hope families will watch together—kids and their parents. They refer to themselves as “Grandpa Ken and Grandma Kathy” and, in this new video, Kathy makes applesauce that she will can for the winter—while also adding to their compost pile. And that’s not all! The video shows them firing up their wood fireplace and drying clothes on “old-fashioned” wooden drying racks. This is a pretty intriguing series as one family tries to live out the goal of becoming as naturally sustainable as possible.

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Dmitri Barvinok

Making Audio Books with Front Edge Publishing

IN OUR FRONT EDGE PUBLISHING column this week: A book is far more than bound ink on paper. For example, our latest Audible audiobook is Mindy Corporon’s Healing a Shattered Soul. Since our founding in 2007, we have published in many formats: hardcover, paperback and in various eBook formats. Increasingly, we are adding audio and video resources both as an integral part of publishing our books—and as part of the long-term outreach of our authors after a book has been released. In this column, Dmitri Barvinok explains how, with each new season, we continue to adapt to the latest in multimedia publishing.

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Holidays & Festivals

 

Christmas Is Coming

Sooner Than You Think

STEPHANIE FENTON also reports on the start of the Eastern Orthodox Nativity Fast, the traditional period of preparing for Christmas, which begins even before American Thanksgiving this year.

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WANT TO SEE ALL THE UPCOMING HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS?—It’s easy to find our annual calendar of global observances. Just visit  InterfaithHolidays.com

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Click on this photo to read Ed McNulty’s review of the movie, King Richard.

Faith & Film

ED McNULTY, for decades, has published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Most of his work is freely published. Ed supports his work by selling the Visual Parables Journal, a monthly magazine packed with discussion guides to films. This resource is used coast-to-coast by individuals who love the movies and by educators, clergy and small-group leaders.

THIS WEEK, Ed McNulty also adapted his coverage of the thought-provoking film Sons and Daughters of Thunder for the audience at the Presbyterian Church-USA’s international website, focusing on how the film’s themes of racial justice are directly connected to Presbyterians.

Among Ed’s free reviews and columns:

  1. KING RICHARD—Ed gives 5 stars to this film that focuses on the father behind the Williams sisters’ careers in tennis.
  2. CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG—Ed writes, “Based on beloved Scholastic book characters, this new adventure films will be enjoyed by families looking for nonviolent but exciting entertainment.”
  3. BELFAST—”Director/writer Kenneth Branagh joins a long line of filmmakers who find rich treasure in mining their childhood experiences. His new film is based on his memories of his 9th year when, in August of 1969, militant Protestants erupted in anger against their Catholic neighbors.”
  4. THE FRENCH DISPATCH—”The director of The Grand Budapest Hotel is back, and with another film even more quirky that serves as an homage to The New Yorker Magazine.”
  5. THE HEROEd urges fans of the venerable Sam Elliott not to miss this film.
  6. NO TIME TO DIE—While Ed is ambivalent about the violence and overall message of the latest Bond thriller, he does heartily recommend that viewers read Benjamin Pratt’s book about Ian Fleming and James Bond. Use this link to read Ed’s review of No Time to Die.
  7. SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF THUNDER—In recommending this film, Ed writes, “Director Kelly Rundle’s film about the students’ debates in 1834 over slavery at Cincinnati’s Lane Seminary is based on the play by Earlene Hawley and Curtiss Heeter.
  8. FLAG DAYEd praises this film in which three members of the Penn family portray the family of a con man.
  9. REMINISCE—Ed McNulty writes, “Writer-director Lisa Joy blends film noir with science fiction in this tale set in a near future Miami whose streets are being flooded as climate change causes the ocean to rise. Nick Bannister (Hugh Jackman) is the jaded detective whose specialty is the past.”
  10. COME FROM AWAY—”The horrific events that occurred 20 years ago on 9/11 reveal the evil depths that humanity can sink to, but this filmed version of David Hein and Irene Sankoff’s Broadway play celebrates the heights to which humanity can rise.”

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