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State Representative Joyce Peppin
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-7806
For more information contact: Austin Bleess 651-296-5529
NEWS COLUMN
THANKSGIVING: A LOT FOR WHICH TO BE THANKFUL
By Joyce Peppin
State Representative
It’s hard to believe Thanksgiving is already here. My daughters are looking forward to a Thanksgiving Cranberry Festival at school and a few days of vacation. I’m looking forward to my favorite meal and watching a good football game with extended family.
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it forces me to look beyond day-to-day problems and instead to think about all the things for which I am grateful. It forces me to look at the glass as half-full instead of half-empty.
We all know Thanksgiving started with the Pilgrims and Indians at Plymouth Rock, but did you know the tradition of celebrating Thanksgiving in Minnesota is older than the state itself? Minnesota territorial Governor Alexander Ramsey proclaimed December 26, 1850, as a day of thanksgiving here. Gov. Ramsey said: “Let us in the public temple of religion, by the fireside and family altar, on the prairie and in the forest, join in the expression of our gratitude, of our devotion to the God who brought our fathers safely through the perils of an early revolution, and who thus continues his favors to the remotest colonies of his sons.” The Minnesota territory then included Minnesota and the Dakotas as far west as the Missouri River. There were but 6,000 settlers.
While things are much easier than for those who lived here 157 years ago, we still have many of the same things for which to be thankful. This year I am grateful there were no tornadoes in Rogers. I am grateful for my family. I’m grateful we live in a country with the freedom to worship as we want and to disagree with our government without fear of retaliation. And mostly, I’m grateful for our brave soldiers who are spending their Thanksgiving in Iraq, Afghanistan, or other places around the globe, protecting our freedoms while we get to spend the day with family.
Have a safe and happy holiday. I hope you have a lot to be thankful for this year too.
News Items
- PEPPIN REPORT: NW SUBURBAN FAMILIES WILL BE HIT HARD UNDER DAYTON AND DFL BUDGET - (Posted: May 28 2013 4:35PM)
- Rep. Peppin’s bill would lessen unfair fiscal disparities tax burden on Rogers - (Posted: Apr 3 2013 9:36AM)
- PEPPIN REPORT: FEBRUARY FORECAST REVEALS FOURTH CONSECUTIVE STATE SURPLUS - (Posted: Feb 28 2013 12:00AM)
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