Thanksgiving is a time to put politics aside and be joyful for the things we have and the people we love.

Republicans and Democrats; blacks and whites; Jews, Christians, Muslims and Native Americans -- Thanksgiving is a day to foster friendship and break bread and try to appreciate our differences, rather than resent them.

With Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa and Ramadan right around the corner, and the American New Year's Day after that, this is a time for us all to be hopeful about the future, as well.

This is the time to remember our troops stationed at home or abroad, wherever they might be in the world. This is the time to be thankful for the blessing we have and to understand the very fragil nature of the time we all have together on this earth.

This is also a time to make sure our children know about this country's founding fathers, and what Thanksgiving meant to them and to every American since then. That means ensuring they are taught these lessons not only at home, but also at school.

For those whose nature doesn't permit them to rest, Newt Gingrich has some advice for you:

" ... Contact your state legislators and ask them to make sure that your state requires teaching the history of Thanksgiving as part of its curriculum, including in public undergraduate college education. Then contact your members of Congress and ask them to support legislation making the history of Thanksgiving a part of citizenship education for new Americans."

And Remember to have a
Happy Thanksgiving!
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