Thanksgiving: what a wonderful idea. It is a day to give thanks for all that you have. In this current time of economic turmoil and governmental transitioning, you may find your head hanging low or your level of anxiety pushing through the roof. It may be difficult to add any of the recent events in this nation to your list of things to be thankful for during this Thanksgiving holiday. In a country where our worries cannot compare to the hardships of others, I would like to offer a positive spin on this time of hectic worry: that perhaps we should be thankful that sometimes things, whether bad or good, happen, and that whether they have a positive or negative effect momentarily, there is always a lesson to learn. I recall talking to my late great Uncle Charlie, an immigrant from Italy married to an Irish immigrant living in Southie (Boston) during the Great Depression. He said that electricity was too costly to waste and the family would put some coins in a meter that supplied power only when they needed it some nights and when the power that had been bought ran out, the family went to sleep - no matter how many errands you still had or if you had already cooked dinner. Perhaps that type of system was not so uncommon, but the way he told that story, I knew, the lights were not often on. “What do you worry about?” he asked in 1993. “Things are easy, life is wonderful. Always remember that.” Those were times when the Frederico’s of the US had to change their name to Fredericks to get a decent job and your family did not look at you if you married out of your culture. This country has come a long way and it will go much further. We all have to keep our sights on the things we should be thankful for, even if those things are tough reminders to value our way of life and the opportunities we are afforded.

This year I am making Indian Pudding, a corn-based dessert that early New Englanders made at the holidays, and still a Boston favorite. It is definitely a recipe to share… Indian Pudding Recipe

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