If it were not for the frost on the great wetlands today, I would hardly remember the warmth of yesterday's spring . Again our November brings us the opportunity to be aware of those things for which we are each thankful. And, as if to demand that each of us take inventory of our lives. It brings to the forefront concern for others who may be less fortunate. It allows us the opportunity to donate to this cause and give to the multiple food banks that scurry around each year before this holiday. For most of us, this thankful awareness creeps into this day of Thanksgiving.
It is with this thought in mind that I invite you to join us this year. Although it is a virtual trip. Please make yourself at home. Assimilate our thanksgiving holiday. Fill your heart with the nourishment that you may need.
As we all bow our heads when grace is said. We sometimes stumble in our haste. We remember those who are with us and those who are not. In our hearts they are always brought to our table. As the turkey sits helpless on its majestic plate one might even wonder if he knew, would he "almost " be proud that he looked so good? Every imaginable vegetable dish and mounds of the mashed. will fill every vacant space on the table. Each of them adding the fall colors to our delightful feast.
As we all try to help the gracious hosts, we take a deep breath and finally take seats at our sumptuous table. We can't help feeling richer on this day. Our abundance of family and fortune is in no way related to monetary wealth. But in blessings that sit at our table. These are the things that money can't buy. The knitting together of invisible threads that grow tighter each year and are meant to bond us to one another for a lifetime.
Once again, we are part of each other as we sit around the table each Thanksgiving. This has become a family tradition. One that began when there were just two of us . Each year as we raise our Thanksgiving toast to our gathering. I see changes in each of us that reminds me of the unharnessed time that passes so quickly.
Is that my hand holding the wine glass? It seems to have become that of my grandmothers. The blooming granddaughters chatter with each other, obviously in search for who they are becoming. They are dressed in finery, that belies their usual jeans. With innocent eyes, they give knowing smiles to one another as they laugh at the antics of their fathers.
Our grandsons , sit on bended knees and only for short seated moments. They spend time observing each other's mastery of the newest technology, as if that were their truest measurement of their maturing minds and bodies.
Our sons, grown men now, who in their brief visit with each other often assume their sibling rivalry with the laughter that accompanies their jest. It is this I will remember so well. It is just one of the special memories. It is in this setting that I can feel their Dad's presence as if he were with us on this day, for this I am thankful.
As the day passes it seems compulsory that we admit to our over indulgence and pass on to our hostess, how she has again out done herself. In a turkey coma lasting only until desert. There's a few moments for the women at the table. There is the review of how each delicious dish was prepared. However, how much it was enjoyed is even more visible, as we can now see the bottom of all the finest china.
The long day brings tensions that are felt in all families when they come together. With runny noses, restless teens and their pending long trips back home, now adds to the fatigue of the day. Departing brings the ambivalence of pain and relief. As each family exits from this years Thanksgiving.
I will once again keep them firmly fix in my heart with the final hugs and goodbyes. Happily, I know they are off to be who they are, each in their own right. Returning to the lives that is theirs. Yet, knowingly they take all of my heart with them. For this I am forever thankful.