Issue 308, November 23, 2025
“Those early Pilgrims were thankful for what had happened to them,
and we should be thankful too. We should just be thankful
for being together. I think that’s what they mean by
Thanksgiving.”
Charlie Brown
Dear Members,
Life has a funny way of making us believe things will always stay the same. Growing up, I could never imagine a Thanksgiving table without my mother and father, my brother and sister, cousins, aunts and uncles—and, of course, the kids’ table. I still remember the chill of those cold New Jersey winters, keeping the beer cold on the back porch with no need for a cooler if the early snow arrived. Some years we traveled to Connecticut to spend Thanksgiving with my aunt and uncle, and other years they visited us. No matter where we gathered, the faces and the food were always the same.
I remember my first Thanksgiving here in Florida. My cousin Ricky lived in Daytona and invited us so we could still spend the holiday with family. It was nice, but different. Instead of roast turkey, he introduced me to smoked turkey—something I’ve been hooked on ever since. And we certainly didn’t leave the beer on the back porch unless it was in a cooler. I finally graduated from the kids’ table, and the cold northern chill was replaced by warm ocean breezes.
This year, Thanksgiving will once again be different, but in many ways, still the same. I’ll do my best to make my father’s dressing. I’ll bake apple and pumpkin pies just like my mom did every year, and my wife will make the green bean casserole her mother always prepared.
We will gather around the table and be grateful for the ones we love. We will be thankful for all that God has blessed us with. But most importantly, we will give thanks for those who are no longer with us—those who made this holiday so special that their memories will live on for generations.
Ken Petsch
2025 President