"We Kane, We Shaw, We Crawford"

How ‘bout those Chicago Blackhawks last night! *Cheering* Don’t mind the title, I was on twitter the night the Chicago Blackhawks claimed the title, Stanley Cup Champions, and saw someone posted a tweet as in the title. I thought it was the perfect phrase for this blog, if you’re out there reading this and you came up with that phrase, I give you credit. I mean, it is the best phrase I’ve seen yet. “We Kane, We Shaw, We Crawford”, talk about creative. I hope they make t-shirts out of these.

Anyway, let’s start talking about how proud we are of our Chicago Blackhawks. After three long years of hard-work and drive, the Blackhawks takes the Stanley Cup again. That’s right, I said it, again! I mean the Boston Bruins have done a tremendous job last night and let me tell you, they are not sore losers, that’s for sure. Even though they did not take home the cup last night, let us take a moment of silence and honor them because it was a great game and they did not go without a fight. Now, let us take a moment of silence and honor the Chicago Blackhawks. Who am I kidding, cheer on my friends, cheer on! The Blackhawks really did their thing last night. They made us all proud and I am sure they are overly excited right now. I’m most definitely sure that they couldn’t have done it without their drive and ambition, their awesome coach, and let’s not forget the amazing fans. I mean Chicago has the best supporters in North America, do you not agree?

The greatest thing about Chicago is our pride. It’s times like these where we value life. As you can see, last night was a perfect time for everyone to come together and cheer for that one team. Many yells were yelled, many friends were made, but at the end of the day, Chicago came together for one night. We came together and supported our team. You see how support really has an effect on the game. I mean WOW! For a minute last night, I really did think that the Boston Bruins were going to be our Stanley Cup Champions, but my goodness did the Blackhawks work. At the end of the day, one player doesn’t make a team; it takes a team to play the game and a team to win. Chicago made one huge team last night and that included the fans, supporters, the coach and the actual Chicago Blackhawks team.

I remember watching the news last night and seeing a lot of fans who were very young. A lot of young boys were so proud to see their team win the championship. When you see that, you can tell how much support affects the young children. The Blackhawks gave it their all last night and they showed it to many young boys and girls. They made way for the younger generation. They show them that dreams do come true, but it takes time, dedication, effort and support.  I know the Blackhawks love the kids and want to set a great path for them. It really makes me proud to see how there are good people out there looking ahead for the future of the children. It’s not about Kane or Crawford or the Blackhawks team, it’s all about the future. If the Blackhawks keeps this up, the future is looking mighty nice right now.

As we honor the Chicago Blackhawks for a season’s worth of ambition and triumph, let us not forget the future. So celebrate and have fun at the Blackhawks parade on Friday, but remember your jobs, your family and your life because your decisions contribute to your future.

Congrats Chicago Blackhawks! We look forward to more Stanley Cup Championships!

A Little Thanksgiving Challenge

I don’t know about you, but when November comes around, all I can seem to think about are the holidays. The holiday season truly starts off with a great one, Thanksgiving. My mom is going to make a tasty turkey and, my favorite, green bean casserole. Our whole family will sit around the dinner table and talk and laugh, between stuffing our faces with food. Thanksgiving makes my stomach happy and my heart full. So, this being my first time away from home for longer than two days, I decided to look a little more into Thanksgiving and what it truly is about. It turns out, there is so much more to turkey day then, well, turkey.

Thanksgiving is a national holiday honoring the early settlers and their first harvest.  The settlers were a group of English Protestants who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to America in order to separate themselves from The Church of England. After a long travel across the Atlantic, the group of 101 settlers settled in what is now known as Cape Cod. When they arrived, they instantly began preparing for the cold weather ahead. They prepared by gathering anything they could but simply gathering would not get the new settlers through the winter. Suddenly, they found a group of supplies already set for winter and decided to take them. Little did they know, those supplies belonged to the Native American group Wampanoag. After losing too many supplies, a Wampanoag named Squanto went to the settlers and offered to help them plant crops if they would stop stealing their supplies. The settlers later made a formal agreement to work with the Wampanoag and to protect each other.  

The First Thanksgiving, reproduction of an oil painting by J.L.G. Ferris, early 20th century.

After the agreement, the settlers decided to celebrate the success of their harvest thanks to the help of Squanto. In order to have a great feast, the settlers decided to hunt for meat to add to the feast. In hearing the gunshots, the Wampanoag feared the settlers were turning against them. They decided to visit the settlers and make sure they were not in danger of entering war. When they visited, the Native Americans saw the settlers were hunting for a feast, so, they decided to help! Thanks to the hard work of both the settlers and Native Americans, they feasted and celebrated together for three whole days. They took their celebration as a time to enjoy the grand harvest and thank each other for all of the help they provided. Thus, this was the very first Thanksgiving celebration.

So, this Thanksgiving I am going to challenge you all. As you are home for the holiday, look around. Take the time away from school or work to notice all of the things you have to be grateful for. Remember why you love the ones you hold closest to your heart. But, beyond reflection, share what you are thankful for. Here at Femi Memorial Outreach, we have much to be thankful for. We are thankful for the opportunity to partner with schools and tutor students with the support of our donor. The staff is very thankful to attend a university and interact with the community around them.

Thanksgiving is a time to recognize all you are thankful for, whether it is your family, friends, shelter, or health. I challenge you to put all of your thanks into words and share them with the people around you.

McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade, Chicago.

If you accept this challenge, tell us about it! Leave a comment about how your Thanksgiving was and how you decided to show your thankfulness.