The end of November traditionally brings with it a whirlwind of emotions and possibilities. Thanksgiving, a uniquely American holiday, begins the extended holiday season as Christmas beckons and days of decorating and shopping lurk around the corner.

The American Thanksgiving began -- or so tradition tells us -- in 1621 when Governor William Bradford proclaimed a day of prayer in the new British colony of Plymouth. It wasn't until 1863, however, that one of the most popular of American presidents, Abraham Lincoln, made the holiday official.

For the last three dozen years, the end of November has also raised a less satisfying memory in the American psyche. Each November 22, we commemorate the anniversary of the assassination of another of the most popular of American presidents, John F. Kennedy.

Could two less compatible anniversaries fall so closely together? Is there any genuine way to reconcile the birth of a nation with the death of a president?

Take a walk in downtown Dallas to discover the answer ... a resounding and memorable "yes."

To step backwards in time to JFK's "Camelot" is a simple matter of exploring Dealey Plaza, named for the famous Dallas newspaperman but known worldwide as the site of President Kennedy's assassination. The area is dominated by the awesome Kennedy Memorial near the historic Old Red Courthouse.

The monument, dedicated in 1970, was a struggle for Dallasites to both build and accept; shortly after the assassination, former Dallas mayor R.L. Thornton told a local newspaper, "I've heard people talking about erecting a monument in their sadness ... for my part, I don't want anything to remind me that a President was killed on the streets of Dallas. I want to forget."

Fortunately, Thornton was overruled by popular opinion, and the memorial was built -- not a memorial to sadness but (appropriately enough) as one of thanksgiving. The markers near both entrances to the memorial read, "The joy and excitement of John Fitzgerald Kennedy's life belonged to all men ... [This] is not a memorial to the pain and sorrow of his death, but stands as a permanent tribute to the joy and excitement of one man's life. John Fitzgerald Kennedy's life."

From the sidewalk between the monument and the courthouse, you can see the old School Book Depository, from which Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly fired the fatal shots that took Kennedy's life. The building now is home to the stunningly powerful Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, which claims as its mission:

" ... [to chronicle] the assassination and legacy of President John F. Kennedy ... and [to provide] audiences with the tools to navigate contemporary culture within the context of presidential history."

Thanks-Giving Square -- the justifiably self-proclaimed "Home of American Thanksgiving" -- is located at the confluence of Bryan, Pacific, Akard and Ervay streets in downtown Dallas. To describe the Square on its own terms, it is:

" ... a unique, inter-religious and multi-cultural shrine and research center. A national resource for the 200-year-old prayer and thanksgiving tradition of America, gathering and sharing the thanksgiving of the world; a place of honor for the great American and world traditions, researching gratitude in all religions and cultures, and promoting thanksgiving globally."

The Square -- not unlike the Kennedy Memorial and Sixth Floor Museum -- advertises itself as "is a central meeting place where the diverse people of the city can use thanksgiving as a way to heal ... and enhance mutual understanding."

One other thing the Sixth Floor and Thanks-Giving Square facilities share in common is remarkably accessible Web sites. Whether you want to e-mail your prayers of thanksgiving to be placed in a Tyrone Glass Bowl from Northern Ireland or to visit The Sixth Floor's Virtual Exhibit, it is now possible to experience a little bit of November in Dallas online.

The end of November in America has traditionally meant the chance to stop and reflect upon who we are and the gifts we have been given in our lives. In a small stretch of downtown Dallas, that chance presents itself twice ... year-round.