Thanksgiving Thoughts

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 Thanksgiving Thoughts

Growing up, food never lacked on our table thanks to hardworking parents.

  In the past, Thanksgiving holidays were an American thing, something you read about in children's storybooks. Canada observes it on October and the US on November and that was it as far as we were concerned. However with the arrival of social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, Thanksgiving is now a world-recognized, not-quite-so American holiday any longer with many first world countries jumping into the Black Friday sales event which follows. Similar to Christmas and Easter, this originally North American holiday has now become a heavily monetized event instead of the simple family gathering it commenced with.

  Belizeans are certainly not untouched, especially among those Mennonites who have modernized. Ease of travel for both Canadian and Belizean Mennonites, greater numbers of US expats retiring to Belize, and of course social media have all combined to sprinkle the rest of us with a dash of the Thanksgiving holiday "feeling". For example in Spanish Lookout, some churches may hold a Thanksgiving supper or lunch somewhere in October or November. Various restaurants even offered Thanksgiving meals, turkey ham with mashed potatoes and gravy, corn and bread complete with our own all-time special, nonreplaceable and terrifyingly unique Belizean dish of rice and beans or tortillas on the side. You choose. Pumpkin pies could also be found on the menu.

  And then there's the inescapable consequence that follows. Good Friday. The innumerable items found on billionaire Jeff Bezos's online store, otherwise known as Amazon, are mind-boggling. With multiple shipping agencies available, electronic gadgets in their palms, banks eager to hand out credit cards, many Belizeans have now fallen victims to this world-famous event. Sorry, I meant Black Friday.

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  On a more personal note I can genuinely say that of all the things I'm thankful for, my Mennonite faith combined with my Mestizo culture rank high on the list. Not being an ethnic Mennonite I cannot claim centuries of the religion as part of my ancestral lineage, since it was barely two generations ago that an indigenous young couple made the life-changing decision to turn away from the Catholic religion steeped in witchcraft and superstition to a gospel of light, hope and freedom. The Mennonite beliefs of separation from the world, non-resistance, a specific dress code and modest clothing for men and women became theirs and was passed on to their descendants resulting in a unique and rich heritage of Mennonite principles with a spicy blend of Mestizo pride. To top it all off, I am now married to an ethnic "Russian" Mennonite.

 I am Mestizo, and yet irrevocably a Mennonite. Yes, I'm certainly thankful for my heritage.


We hunted small animals with homemade toy weapons, but were not allowed to play war games or "cops and robbers" due to non-resistance beliefs




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                                             A. Mendoza

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