Fabienne and the Big Feast

Fabienne was having a nice dream about playing on the swings and slides when she awoke with a start.  Mr. Bear was shaking her arm.

Excitedly, Mr. Bear said, "Wake up!  Wake up, Fabienne!  There are big happenings.  Very big happenings."

Fabienne sat up, rubbed her eyes and asked, "What kind of big happenings, Mr. Bear?"

"People!  Cooking!  Pies! And a giant turkey!  Oh, my, such a commotion!"

Fabienne got dressed and followed Mr. Bear into the kitchen.  Sure enough there were people scurrying here and there, glorious smells coming from the oven and on the kitchen counter was the biggest turkey Fabienne had ever seen.

"Turkey?" Fabienne asked Mama who was carrying armloads of vegetables.

"Yes, Fabienne," Mama said, "it's Thanksgiving and we're making a great feast."

Fabienne followed Mama to the sink where Mama began to clean the vegetables and chop them up.

"What's Thanksgiving," Fabienne asked.

"Well," said Mama, "a long time ago some people called Pilgrims settled a new land and they had trouble growing crops and finding food.  The people who lived on the land helped them and in gratitude for their help a big feast was held.  It was called a Thanksgiving, that is, giving thanks for being helped.  Every year we remember that by having a small feast of our own with all our friends and family."

"Even Mr. Bear?" Fabienne asked.

"Even Mr. Bear!"  Mama said, and she reached down and gave Mr. Bear a big hug.

After the feast was over and all the dishes had been cleared from the table and washed, Fabienne went up to Mama and said, "That was a wonderful feast!  Can we do it again tomorrow?"

Wise Mama looked down and said, "Thanksgiving is special because we do it once a year, like birthdays.  If we did it every day why would you be thankful?"

Fabienne thought about that for a while and said, "I think we should be thankful every day even if we don't have a feast."

Wise words from one so young.