本週四是感恩節。作家歐·亨利把這一天稱為“純美國式”的節日。感恩節不是一個宗教節日，但它有宗教方面的含義。一些美國人在感恩節的前一天或是感恩節的早上參加宗教儀式，還有的長途跋涉和他們的家人團聚。感恩節的主要慶祝方式是一桌豐盛的家庭晚宴。
【Really Gifts of the Heart來自內心的禮物】
According to legend, a young man while roaming the desert came across a spring of delicious crystal-clear water. The water was so sweet, he filled his leather canteen so he could bring some back to a tribal elder who had been his teacher.
據傳說，一個年輕的男子在漫遊沙漠途中看到一泉如水晶般清澈而可口的水。水的'味道非常甜美，於是他灌滿了他的皮水壺，這樣就可以帶一些回去，送給曾經是他老師的部落長老。
After a four-day journey he presented the water to the old man who took a deep drink, smiled warmly and thanked his student lavishly for the sweet water. The young man returned to his village with a happy heart.
經過四天的旅程，他把水呈獻給老人。老人深飲一口，和藹地笑了笑，並深切感激學生贈予他甜美的水。年輕人懷著愉快的心情回到了村莊。
Later, the teacher let another student taste the water. He spat it out, saying it was awful. It apparently had become stale because of the old leather container.
後來，老師讓他的另一個學生品嚐水。學生吐了出來，說水太難喝了。它顯然已經因為陳舊的皮革容器而變得不再新鮮。
The student challenged his teacher: "Master, the water was foul. Why did you pretend to like it?"
學生質疑他的老師：“師父，水是臭的，你為什麼要假裝喜歡它?”
The teacher replied, "You only tasted the water. I tasted the gift. The water was simply the container for an act of loving-kindness and nothing could be sweeter."
老師回答說，“你只品嚐了水的味道，我卻是在品嚐禮物的味道。水僅僅是裝載善與愛之行為的容器，而沒有什麼東西比善與愛更甜美了。”
I think we understand this lesson best when we receive innocent gifts of love from young children. Whether it's a ceramic tray or a macaroni bracelet, the natural and proper response is appreciation and expressed thankfulness because we love the idea within the gift.
我認為當我們從天真的孩子們那裡收到愛的禮物時，能夠最透徹地明白這個道理。無論它是一個陶瓷托盤或通心粉手鐲，我們自然而恰當的反應是欣賞，並表示感激，因為我們喜歡禮物所包含的心意。
Gratitude doesn't always come naturally. Unfortunately, most children and many adults value only the thing given rather than the feeling embodied in it. We should remind ourselves and teach our children about the beauty and purity of feelings and expressions of gratitude. After all, gifts from the heart are really gifts of the heart.
感恩並不總是自然而來的。不幸的是，大多數兒童和成人只看重被贈予的東西本身，而不是它體現的情誼。我們應該提醒自己，並教導我們的孩子，感情和對感激之情的表達是美麗而純潔的。畢竟，發自內心給與的禮物才是真正的禮物。
【Thanksgiving Day】
Thanksgiving Day is the most truly American of the national Holidays in the United States and is most closely connected with the earliest history of the country.
In 1620, the settlers, or Pilgrims, they sailed to America on the May flower, seeking a place where they could have freedom of worship. After a tempestuous two-month voyage they landed at in icy November, what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts.
During their first winter, over half of the settlers died of starvation or epidemics. Those who survived began sowing in the first spring.
All summer long they waited for the harvests with great anxiety, knowing that their lives and the future existence of the colony depended on the coming harvest. Finally the fields produced a yield rich beyond expectations. And therefore it was decided that a day of thanksgiving to the Lord be fixed. Years later, President of the United States proclaimed the fourth Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day every year. The celebration of Thanksgiving Day has been observed on that date until today.
The pattern of the Thanksgiving celebration has never changed through the years. The big family dinner is planned months ahead. On the dinner table, people will find apples, oranges, chestnuts, walnuts and grapes. There will be plum pudding, mince pie, other varieties of food and cranberry juice and squash. The best and most attractive among them are roast turkey and pumpkin pie. They have been the most traditional and favorite food on Thanksgiving Day throughout the years.
Everyone agrees the dinner must be built around roast turkey stuffed with a bread dressing to absorb the tasty juices as it roasts. But as cooking varies with families and with the regions where one lives, it is not easy to get a consensus on the precise kind of stuffing for the royal bird.
Thanksgiving today is, in every sense, a national annual holiday on which Americans of all faiths and backgrounds join in to express their thanks for the year' s bounty and reverently ask for continued blessings.
感恩節是美國國定假日中最地道、最美國式的節日，而且它和早期美國歷史最為密切相關。
1620年，一些朝聖者(或稱為清教徒)乘坐"五月花"號船去美國尋求宗教自由。他們在海上顛簸折騰了兩個月之後，終於在酷寒的十一月裡，在現在的馬薩諸塞州的普里茅斯登陸。
在第一個冬天，半數以上的移民都死於飢餓和傳染病，活下來的人們在第一個春季開始播種。整個夏天他們都熱切地盼望著豐收的到來，他們深知自己的生存以及殖民地的存在與否都將取決於即將到來的收成。後來，莊稼獲得了意外的豐收，所以大家決定要選一個日子來感謝上帝的恩典。多年以後，美國總統宣佈每年十一月的第四個星期四為感恩節。感恩節慶祝活動便定在這一天，直到如今。
感恩節慶祝模式許多年來從未改變。豐盛的家宴早在幾個月之前就開始著手準備。人們在餐桌上可以吃到蘋果、桔子、栗子、胡桃和葡萄，還有葡萄乾布丁、碎肉餡餅、各種其它食物以及紅莓苔汁和鮮果汁，其中最妙和最吸引人的大菜是烤火雞和番瓜餡餅，這些菜一直是感恩節中最富於傳統意義和最受人喜愛的食品。
人人都贊成感恩節大餐必需以烤火雞為主菜。火雞在烘烤時要以麵包作填料以吸收從中流出來的美味汁液，但烹飪技藝常因家庭和地區的不同而各異，應用什么填料也就很難求得一致。
今天的感恩節是一個不折不扣的國定假日。在這一天，具有各種信仰和各種背景的美國人，共同為他們一年來所受到的上蒼的恩典表示感謝，虔誠地祈求上帝繼續賜福。
