Thanksgiving Moments in History

Editorial

By

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November 21, 2018

This Thursday over 54 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends according to the AAA travel website.

The preferred meal, obviously, will be turkey and dressing. Eighty-eight percent of us will indulge our appetite on the bird Benjamin Franklin wanted to be the symbol of America. All total, 46 million turkeys will be eaten this Thanksgiving.

Stuffing is an important part of the traditional meal. Fifty-percent like their stuffing on the inside of the bird. How do you like yours?

The celebratory feast has its roots in the early days of American history. Names like Squanto, William Bradford along with the pilgrims who landed at Plymouth rock come to mind.

It has been recorded that William Bradford was the first to organize a “Thanksgiving” feast that brought Native Americans and Pilgrims together. It lasted three days.

Abraham Lincoln was the first president given credit for making the holiday a permanent annual event. However, the idea of making Thanksgiving a national holiday was the idea of Sarah Josepha Hale, author of the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb”. She worked tirelessly for 36 years to achieve her goal through editorials, letters to governors, senators and presidents. Lincoln heeded her request in 1863.

One of the traditions of the day is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The first one took place in New York City in 1924. This week around 3.5 million people will attend the parade while another 50 million will watch it on television. This year’s parade will include 16 giant character balloons, 43 novelty balloons, 26 floats, 1,200 cheerleaders and dancers, 1,000 clowns, and 12 marching bands. The parade should last around 3 hours.

The song “Jingle Bells” was originally meant to be a Thanksgiving song. It was written in 1857 by James Lord Pierpont and published under the name “One Horse Open Sleigh”. The song became so popular that it became a part of Christmas.

During World War I the government printing office published cookbooks so members of the armed forces could cook their favorite Thanksgiving meals.

A poster from WWI urging Americans to ration sugar.

Newspapers did their part during the Thanksgiving season during WWI. Newspapers published recipes and ideas to help families enjoy the holiday with limited resources due to rationing.

Because sugar was in such short supply, cranberry sauces were discouraged in many of the newspaper articles.

Of course, the best WWI Thanksgiving feast occurred on November 28, 1918, the Thanksgiving immediately after the war, which ended on November 11th at 11:00 am. That was a hundred years ago this year.

How do you like to celebrate Thanksgiving? What family traditions do you enjoy? What memories bring you happiness during this festive time of the year?

We at the Waurika News Journal & The Ryan Leader wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.

Pick Your Battles

Editorial

By

Curtis Plant

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December 9, 2022

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December 7, 1941 is a day that will live in infamy.

That was the day Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and officially brought the United States into WWII. Because of the unwarranted and unprovoked attack, the US really didn’t have much of a choice but to respond. Especially, since Europe was already ablaze with war.

Unlike Roosevelt, you and I actually get to pick our battles.

I’m not talking about going to actual war.

I mean, if someone cuts us off in traffic we have a choice on how we are going to respond.

Someone says something not so nice about us or our family. We have a choice on how we are going to respond.

On any given day, we are given multiple opportunities to go to battle with individuals, groups or both.

There is just no way we can be at constant war with the world around us and maintain our peace.

That’s why we need to learn to pick our battles.

I once heard a marriage counselor say those words. “Pick your battles.”

In other words, don’t fight with your spouse over every little thing.

“He squeezes the toothpaste tube in the middle,” you might say. Is that worth disrupting your peace and ruining your day as well as his?

“She loads the toilet paper into the dispenser wrong,” he may say.

Is that worth the aggravation and hurt feelings your complaint may cause?

Pick your battles.

We are faced with that option several times per day.

It’s a great strategy.

When we are constantly combative and nitpicking all we do is cause anger in strife for those around us.

It also disrupts our own sense of wellbeing.

So, the next time you have the opportunity to wage war with someone, ask yourself if it is really worth the aggravation. Is the offense really that bad?

By doing so you will save yourself from going through unnecessary stress.

We don’t always have to “one-up” each other in this life.

Sometimes you win. Sometimes they win. Sometimes neither win.

That’s just life.

The benefit of picking your battles let’s you develop a reputation as someone who is always opting for peace.

Then, when you do have to confront someone, the person will take you more seriously, because they realize it must be important or otherwise you wouldn’t be bringing it up.

If you are the type who goes to war with everyone over every little thing, nobody will take you seriously, and worse than that, nobody will want to be around you.

“Isn’t that right…..” ooops, I started to actually say their name.

You get my point.

Enjoy more peace of mind with yourself and with those around you.

Learn to pick your battles.

Life will go easier and you be more at ease.

Merry Christmas.

Gun control and what’s really going on

Editorial

By

Curtis Plant

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October 6, 2017

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Besides the NFL/National Anthem debate, there is little else on the news this week than the mass shooting in Las Vegas where 500 plus people were injured and at least 59 (possibly more) were killed by a lone gunman from his hotel room as he fired at those attending a country music concert some 400 feet away.

One of the arguments that his heard the loudest is the issue of gun control. It’s a controversial and heated topic, especially here in a part of the United States where owning a gun is considered a birth right.

The question that may need to be asked during this debate is “what was the mental state of the man who committed this heinous crime and could he have been helped or at least treated in a way that would have minimized his desire to do something so senseless?”

The methods he used to carry out this abominable act are noteworthy, but not the root of the problem.

Mental health is a topic that not many feel comfortable discussing.

I heard someone say once, “You have to be crazy to want to go see a therapist or a psychologist.” The implication is obvious. Reaching out for help when struggling with mental issues has a stigma attached to it that causes many of those suffering and needing help to retreat in shame.

Others will argue that anyone using a mental illness as an excuse for bad behavior is simply a coward and attempting to avoid accountability.

Perhaps.

However, it is possible that some who find themselves acting out so irresponsibly against society really are in need of help and there is simply nobody there who cares enough to attempt to address the issue.

Obviously, this is a complex issue. Especially for those raised in a home where you just “man up” and deal with your problems yourself.

Living here in Oklahoma it is even a bit worse.

Mental health in Oklahoma is like the stepchild of the medical establishment. Those of you who have loved ones who have ever wrestled with depression, PTSD, or any of the other life debilitating mental afflictions prevalent in our society know this to be true.

Mental health is a serious issue that needs to be dealt with in a serious manner.

Sure, we all know people who have feigned being crazy to avoid responsibility or self sustainment. That being said, there are just as many others who suffer in silence because they are genuinely hurting and won’t seek help for fear of being labeled as….(you can fill in the blank).

What was the reason for the tragedy that affected so many in Las Vegas? At this moment it is too early to say definitively.

It is, however, a chance to open a dialogue. Ask the tough questions.

Why do people do what they do?

Are there deeper motives than what can be seen on the surface?

Most importantly, when we debate the reasons for acts of violence and mayhem, let’s at least be asking the right questions instead of simply giving pat answers or knee-jerk responses that play well on Twitter or Facebook.

We live in a complex society suffering with complex issues.

It would be nice to have an answer. A real one.

Not something that can be simply printed on a T-Shirt or sent out to the world in a 140 characters, but something that actually gives a solution to what we are all facing.

That’s right. This is something we all face. This isn’t just a problem that affects those who have suffered or those who have been injured, this affects all of us.

Perhaps its time we come together as a society and actually figure this out together regardless of political or ideological affiliation and without caring who gets the credit.

We claim to be “one” nation under God. Let’s act like it.

What are you reading?

Editorial

By

Curtis Plant

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January 3, 2019

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Stories have a way of cheering us up, opening our minds, mending our hearts, and taking us on journeys we would otherwise never be able to enjoy.

That’s what I love about a good book.

I especially love a good mystery.

Reading was something that was encouraged in our home from the time I was old enough to go to the local library in Moore, Oklahoma.

There’s nothing like a well written book.

Over the years, I’ve amassed a formidable library, if I may be so presumptuous.

Therefore, when I’m not writing for the paper or writing the weekly sermon, it’s not uncommon for me to have a book in my hand.

During the holiday season I found a series on Amazon Prime called the Great American Read. It was filmed during 2018. PBS was on a quest to find out the top 100 favorite books of American readers.

I won’t go into the entire list here, but I would like to share a few.

Coming in at number 83 was Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness.”

I was pleased to see Novels with a Christian theme included on the list.

“Pilgrim’s Progress” by John Bunyan was number 80.

The “Left Behind” series did somewhat better by landing at number 77.

A classic, “Gulliver’s Travels” was number 75.

Ralph Ellison, one of two writers from Oklahoma whose books made the list, was recognized by having his award winning book, “Invisible Man” listed as number 72.

A timeless classic, “Don Quixote,” made it to number 68 on the list.

“A Separate Peace,” by John Knowles, a book I was required to read in High School, was number 67.

The book that came in at number 58 is one enjoyed by myself and Ryan native, Jon Harris. I talked to him this week while preparing for the story about the Ryan Drug store. During our conversation I let him know about this editorial and that the book he introduced me to was on the list. He wasn’t surprised. In case your wondering the book is titled, “A Confederacy of Dunces” by John Kennedy Toole. It won the Pulitzer Prize.

Those of you who enjoy a moving romantic story will be pleased to know that “The Notebook” was number 56.

If you have time this year, and you will need plenty to finish the book that was listed as number 50, “War and Peace” by Leo Tolstoy.

Do you know where the phrase “Catch-22” comes from? You guessed it. It’s number 47 on the list. “Catch-22” by Joseph Heller.

“The Outsiders,” by S.E. Hinton made number 32. She is the there Oklahoma writer who made the top 100. Susie Hinton was born and raised in Tulsa. She still lives there today.

Charles Dickens made the list with his book “Great Expectations” coming in at number 29.

“Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll listed at number 28.

A man who lives not from here wrote the book that was listed as number 22. His name is Larry McMurtry. The book is titled, “Lonesome Dove.”

“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” by Mark Twain made the list at number 17.

The favorite book of those who submitted their favorite titles to the PBS website was none other than “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee.

What’s your favorite book? Do you have more than one? That’s okay. So do I.

We are curious to find out what yours are. Use the form below or email us at waurikanewsjournal@gmail.com with your list of favorite books. You can send us as many as you want. We will accept your list all year until the last week in November. We will announce the list in a December issue.

A Dream Deferred?

Editorial

By

Curtis Plant

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January 10, 2019

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Langston Hughes once asked, “What happens to a dream deferred?

We could ask, “What do we do when a dream is deferred?” Do we simply give up?

We all have dreams. At least we did in our younger years.

Some of us wanted to be astronauts, writers, spies, doctors, lawyers, superheroes, etc.

As time passed we adjusted these dreams to fit our skill sets and in some cases to fit reality.

Sadly, some of us quit adjusting our dreams and instead quit dreaming altogether.

Jon Waid said at Tuesday’s chamber meeting that many new year’s resolutions are discarded by Valentine’s Day.

The reason for this, he said, was because we don’t have a system in place to implement those resolutions.

Perhaps the same can be said about dreams.

Maybe we don’t see our dreams fulfilled because we failed to implement a system that would enable us to achieve them?

It’s fun to dream about climbing Mt. Everest.

However, if that really is a dream you want fulfilled, you will need to set some plans in motion to achieve it.

It’s healthy to dream.

Dreams can be inspiring.

I encourage you to dream again. Create some goals. Aspire to achieve. Learn to live.

It’s okay if you have failed over and over again.

Revive the dream.

This time, however, create or learn a system that will enable you to achieve it.

The best way to do this is to start out small.

Make baby steps toward you goal.

I heard it once said, “the best way to eat an elephant is slowly, one bite at a time.”

Next, make your progress measurable.

For instance, if you are going to climb Mt. Everest, obviously, you will need to be in good shape.

Research, find out what kind of physical shape you would need to be in. How far would you need to be able to walk (climb)?

Go to the gym. Build your muscles. Increase your endurance.

Do this in stages.

Also, find out what kind of equipment you will need. How much will it cost? Adjust your budget to be able to afford it.

Finally, there will be times when you have to settle for climbing Mt. Scott instead of Everest.

That’s okay.

At least you will make it to the summit.

At least you will be dreaming again.

Go ahead, live a little.

Enjoy life.

Dare to dream.

What if?

Editorial

By

Curtis Plant

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July 18, 2019

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I remember sitting in a sixth-grade social studies class with the other football players driving our teacher crazy with “What if” questions.

“What if Germany had won WWII?”

“What if China invaded us today?”

“What if?”

The questions went on and on.

He finally threw up his hands and …well you get the idea.

How many times have we talked ourselves out of doing something productive with “What if” questions?

What if nobody likes my idea?

What if nobody appreciates what I do?

What if people make fun of me?

What if others think I’m stupid?

I’ve asked that one many times myself and no you don’t need to send me an email to confirm the answer.

There’s nothing wrong with looking at ideas from all angles before implementing them.

That’s actually quite commendable.

But more often than not, we sabotage our own success by talking ourselves out of a good idea because we’ve asked one too many “What if” questions.

What if Columbus hadn’t sailed the ocean blue in 1492?

What if Marco Polo had stayed home?

What if George Washington had refused to serve as the first president?

What if Steve Jobs had given up after the first apple computer had failed to meet his expectations?

What if your parents had never met?

There are some things that we will never know the answer to.

However, what I can tell you is that you will never accomplish anything if you sit around asking “What if?”

Life is short.

Yet there are so many things that still need to be accomplished.

Someone needs to cure cancer.

Someone needs to solve the deficit.

Someone needs to find the answer for baldness.

Someone needs to invent the perfect zero calorie meal.

Someone needs to find a real alternative energy source.

Someone needs….

This list could go on into infinity.

Someone has to do it.

Someone has to roll up their sleeves and come up with some solutions.

Someone needs to take a chance.

Someone needs to dare to be the one.

What if that someone is you?

Oklahoma Gold Album Turns 60

Editorial

By

Curtis Plant

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July 19, 2018

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Sixty years go, the sound track from the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, “Oklahoma,” was the first album certified by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) as gold.

According to the Association’s website there was a special ceremony at the Oklahoma History Museum on July 10th commemorating the first ever gold album turning 60.

Gov. Mary Fallin accepted the commemorative plaque on behalf of the state and issued a proclamation that celebrated the “major milestone in music history.”

It was on July 8, 1958 when the RIAA, the organization which administers the Gold and Platinum Awards Program, bestowed the prestigious honor on the album.

The album featured performances by Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones and various cast members.

Songs recorded on the album included “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin” and “The Surrey With the Fringe On Top” as well as the timeless classic “Oklahoma”.

Recently “Something Wonderful: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway Revolution,” a book written by Todd S. Purdum was released.

In it he talks about the partnership of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein and how they came together to write the musical that would become “Oklahoma.”

It was based on a musical from 1931 called “Green Grow the Lilacs.”

They had known each other for years so their official business partnership began with a simple handshake.

They then did something radical for writers at the time. They formed their own music publishing company.

Next, they were the first to mass produce the cast performance as an album in such a successful fashion.

What set “Oklahoma” apart from other Broadway shows at the time was the way it opened.

Most musicals opened with loud exciting music to catch the audiences attention. This also allowed late comers to enter the theater and settle into their seats without missing anything of the story line.

“Oklahoma” opened with a simple scene with someone on the stage sitting quietly and unassuming.

The whole production was more than just a musical, it was actually a well written story that conveyed the emotions and thoughts of the characters through songs and dance in a way that had never been done quite so well before.

Another uniqueness of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s collaboration was that the writing of the lyrics was finished before the music was composed.

Most writers of the time composed the music first then later wrote the lyrics.

Hammerstein wrote the lyrics and Rodgers penned the music.

Rodgers said that Hammerstein’s lyrics were beautifully written even without a tune.

The two seldom worked in the same room.

The now famous Broadway hit opened on March 31, 1943 to a less that packed out crowd.

“Oklahoma” ran for 2,212 performances and has been performed by music companies, colleges and high school students around the world.

Rodgers and Hammerstein won a Pulitzer Prize for the production in 1944.

The play wasn’t made into a film until 1955. The recording was made shortly thereafter thus beginning the album’s journey to gold status.

Interestingly, “Oklahoma” was one the first albums that used the original cast members to sing the songs on the recording.

It’s amazing that an album about a romance on the prairie was one of the first to be certified gold.

It’s also amazing that album is about our amazing home state Oklahoma—where the winds come sweeping down the plain.

You’re doing fine Oklahoma.

Whatever Happened to Civility?

Editorial

By

Curtis Plant

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September 23, 2022

0

t’s non-existent.

I’m astonished at how so-called Christians treat one another these days.

I don’t remember Jesus telling the disciples to only be nice to the people who agreed with them.

In His “Sermon on the Mount” He did say to bless those who curse you. Pray for those who despitefully use you.

Perhaps that was just a suggestion. I’m no longer sure.

Year’s ago someone said the 80s was the decade of the “ME” generation.

I honestly believe we are seeing a repeat from just a different perspective.

“Life has to go my way or I’ll demolish and crucify those who don’t agree with me on social media” seems to be the mantra of the day.

I feel like a person who is living in the wrong time period.

When I was growing up I was taught to respect my elders and treat everyone in authority with respect.

That is no longer the case. Respect is a thing of the past.

There was a time when even ministers were honored and revered. That’s gone by the wayside as well.

Years ago, people would talk about a kinder and more gentle society. Whatever happened to that world?

Don’t misunderstand. I’m not naive. I realize people seldom agree on everything. What am I saying? These days people seldom agree on anything.

We used to say you could disagree without being disagreeable. That’s no longer true either.

Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe life has always been this way and I was just wearing rose colored glasses. Seeing what I wanted to see.

Either way, we are now living in a world lacking in love.

People are leaving the churches in droves. Is it because of the lack of civility?

People no longer commit to civic organizations. Is it because they feel as if they don’t fit in?

Years ago I remember writing about apathy. That was the enemy we faced. Apathy ruled and nobody cared.

However, today things have changed. Anger is what rules and everyone is embracing it, even so-called Christians.

In his column this week (See Minister’s Moment page 3), Mike Bates quotes Micah 6:8. “And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God”. I think that is a great place to start.

We all understand justice. We have no problem pointing out the wrongs in society.

It’s with the “love kindness” part we are having the struggle.

We no longer feel the need to be kind.

The reason?

Look at the last phrase of that verse: and to walk humbly with your God..

Humility is also a thing of the past. For some reason we feel an overwhelming desire to always be the smartest person in the room. If we are not, then we try to bully the person into submission who is.

I think I read somewhere that pride goes before destruction.

Paul said in the book of Philippians chapter two that we were to esteem others above ourselves. In other words, “exercise some humility.”

However, these days being humble is seen as a sign of weakness.

Well, according to the old children’s song we learned in Sunday School, “We are weak, but He is strong.”

Perhaps our anger is the result of not feeling loved?

Whatever the reason it needs to stop before we devour each other.

We are emptying our churches, our civic organizations and running people out of town.

People no longer want to live in a world without love regardless if they realize it or not.

Anger, hatred and bitterness are malignant cancers that feed off each other.

Hear’s an idea. Let’s try a little civility. At least for just one week. Let’s just see if it changes how we feel. Let’s see if it changes anything.

Abraham Lincoln, an unlikely president

Editorial

By

Curtis Plant

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February 22, 2018

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Doris Kearns Goodwin in her book, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, writes that Ralph Waldo Emerson found at that Abraham Lincoln had been elected, he said that “the ‘comparatively unknown name of Lincoln’ had been selected: ‘we heard the result coldly and sadly. It seemed too rash, on a purely local reputation, to build so grave a trust in such anxious times.’”

In other words, not everyone was happy to find out he had been elected.

Obviously, most of those living in the south were not happy about his election.

His appearance was not inspiring.

He didn’t come from a well known family, nor did he come from wealth.

What he did have going for him was his ability to communicate.

It is said that he could disarm a room filled with anger simply by telling one of his folksy homespun tales that usually made an understated point.

Once he was elected, states began leaving the union. Eventually 11 states would form what became the confederacy.

Many historians agree that Lincoln was the right man at the right time to lead the country through the civil war.

He brought the country back together, although he paid for it with his life.

That being said, if we were alive during time of the election of 1860 many of us would have grave doubts about him and many of us would probably not vote for him.

He had very little experience in politics.

Most of his work experience was as a country lawyer.

Lincoln came from humble beginnings and knew hardship and heartache through the early years of his life.

He was self taught and had almost no formal education.

The year he was elected president there were actually four men from four different parties in the race. Today his face is one of four on Mount Rushmore.

At the republican convention, the men who went to the event in Chicago to nominate him, knew that he would not win the first ballot. Their goal was to simply keep his name alive until they could recruit enough delegates to get him nominated.

Today, his image is not only on Mt. Rushmore, but on the penny and the five dollar bill.

It could be argued that Lincoln’s life experience of overcoming obstacles to achieve his goals prepared him for the obstacles he would face while living in the White House.

If his life had been ideal and easy, he may not have had the tenacity needed to become a student of war and lead the north to victory. It is said that during the civil war that he read every book on warfare he could find in the Library of Congress.

He had a determination not to ever give up. It made him the right man for the job of president at the right moment in history.

Learning to live in the moment.

Editorial

By

Curtis Plant

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November 30, 2018

0

Everyone has moments they look back on with fondness, moments perhaps which even define them as a person.

Sadly for many of us, those moments are too few and far between.

Sometimes it’s because life is too busy.

However, much of the time it’s because we simply fail to live in the moment.

Thomas Carlyle once wrote, “Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.”

That statement had a profound impact on a man by the name of Sir William Osler.

In a speech to students at Yale University, Osler related the truth of that statement in a short sentence, “live in day-tight compartments.”

Osler went on to explain. He said forget about yesterday, don’t focus on the future and simply focus on today. Put another way, live in the moment.

Researches have accumulated DATA on what makes people unhappy.

What they discovered is that one of the contributors to unhappiness is a habit that everyone engages in throughout the day. It’s called mind-wandering.

We as humans have the ability to let our minds wander to other things instead of focusing on the task directly in front of us.

In other words, we are not doing what lies clearly at hand.

Let’s face it. We live in a fast-paced demanding world.

Everything was due yesterday.

Because of that, we feel a constant need to be planning ahead, thinking about the tasks yet to be completed.

This causes chaos and confusion and yes, unhappiness.

Over the past few months, there have been a plethora of books on the market about mindfulness.

Mindfulness is defined as achieving a state of mind where one focuses on the present moment.

Some of these writers express this idea as if it is a new concept.

They forget that the greatest teacher who ever lived taught this principle two-thousand years ago.

He said not to worry about tomorrow. He even went so far as to say not to even worry about what you would eat, drink or wear.

What he was saying was to focus on the moment you are in.

How many of us have missed out on life simply because we let our minds wander at the wrong times?

We are with our children playing a simple game but our minds are at work.

Instead of enjoying time with our spouse we are thinking about other ways we could be making money.

At other times we can’t enjoy our day off from work because we are worried about whatever is screaming at us the most in our minds.

Moments are special. Sadly, if we don’t learn to live in those moments while they are happening there is a good chance we won’t even remember them.

Life is short and is made up of moments. Let’s enjoy each and every one.

Editorial

The Typewriter

Is that ‘Junk’ in Your Attic or Basement Worth a Fortune?

Freedom, the Declaration and the Press