Thanksgiving 2022 - North American Shop Hop

As I look back on 2022 so far, it seems there is a lot to be thankful for. We seem to be getting past the fears of COVID. It isn’t gone, but we are starting to accept that it will never be gone. I was able to travel across Canada and into Alaska this summer, and it is still one of the most beautiful places in the world! I went north to the Arctic Circle, and south to Homer and Seward. I was able to visit twenty shops in Alaska, which I am still reviewing on this blog. I truly love the beauty of the world we live in, and the ferry to Juneau allowed me to see humpback whales and wonderful water falls. I enjoy stopping and visiting the quilt shops, but I enjoy even more the beauty of the world we live in.

It has been nearly 400 years since the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast. This was the beginning of American Thanksgiving celebrations. As years passed, the colonists celebrated at different times in different colonies. In 1789, President George Washington became the first president to proclaim a Thanksgiving holiday, when he proclaimed November 26, a Thursday, as a day of national thanksgiving for the U.S. Constitution. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared that Thanksgiving would be on the last Thursday in November, and subsequent presidents followed this pattern until Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed a bill into law on November 26, 1941, officially making the fourth Thursday in November the national holiday of Thanksgiving Day.

So let us each take some time to look at the positives, the things that have gone well this year, rather than focusing on all of the things that seem to have gone wrong. I have used pictures of the scenery I have seen as I travel for this post, rather than quilts and fabric, because the beauty of this earth is worth admiring. If you have a roof over your head – be thankful. If you have food on the table – be thankful. If you have the luxury of fabric and a way to sew with it – be thankful. Above all, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever. Thanksgiving blessings to each and every one of you, and to your loved ones as well. I will see you all on Monday, when I will continue introducing new Quilt Shops.