Seoul, Korea—The Korea chapter of UPF held its annual Thanksgiving dinner for foreign diplomats in Seoul at the Hannamdong International Guest House on November 25, 2016. Twelve guests representing nine countries, including Sierra Leone, Croatia, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Romania, Tajikistan, Angola, the D.R. Congo and Iraq attended the occasion.
The guests were welcomed and introduced by the emcee and main speaker of the evening, Dr. Thomas Selover, who is a professor at the Sun Hak Graduate University.
The program began with songs, which were offered by Mrs. Tokiko Richardson and Mrs. Riwa Kawabata, accompanied by Mrs. Megumi Sonoda, who played the piano.
Dr. Selover then spoke about the origin of Thanksgiving and how Thanksgiving became an important day in America, when people and families come together in a spirit of gratitude and service. It is also a time of harvest to thank God for the bounty of nature and abundance in our life.
He told a story of a family who came together on Thanksgiving Day for a turkey dinner, which was prepared all day long by the mother of this family. The father asked each family member which part of the turkey they prefer. One child said, “I would like to have the softy, white meat of the turkey.” Another child chooses the wings of the bird, and every member of the family chooses the best part of the bird. When the mother was asked which part of the turkey she would like, she says with a smile, “I’ll take the neck of the turkey.” Everyone is surprised by what the mother chose. The neck of the turkey has many bones and a little bit of meat. Every year on Thanksgiving, the mother, with her loving and caring heart, always chooses the neck of the turkey. At the next Thanksgiving dinner all her children wanted the neck of the turkey to show their gratitude and loyal heart to their mother, saying that mother deserves the best part from the bird. When the mother was asked to choose from the turkey, she said, “This time I will take the dark meat of the bird.” This story not only shows the heart and love of the mother for her children but also the respect and gratefulness of each child in this family.
After this short program, everyone enjoyed a turkey dinner in a beautifully decorated room. Each guest had the opportunity to speak about their own experiences in life, with their family and in their home country, with thanksgiving.
A flower basket and personal gift were given to all the guests before they departed.