Turkey Day

[Troubledour]

I'm sitting here on Thanksgiving Eve watching family & friends interact in that familiar & occasionally annoying way so common to many families & considering what people might be thankful for.

My grandmother for the gift of more years than she might have expected, another holiday season, & maybe another.

My elderly & maiden aunt for the family that loves her no matter how much the egghead she can be, even if it does take her an hour & a half to open a freaking package ...

My closest friend might be a little too defensively hostile to completely enjoy a world where it's more or less ok to be gay but I'm certain that he's thankful for his extended family, the success of his business & his partner of 8 years. He’s certainly loyal & there like no one I’ve ever known.

My dad for the woman that's loved him for more than 50 years & my mother for him, and no doubt for the surprising good health that she enjoys after decades of difficulty & perhaps both of them for a son that doesn’t fault them for being human.

I watch my kids & wonder, have I taught them to be thankful ? Maybe, maybe not yet. I wonder if they completely understand that the clothes on their backs exceed the value of the annual incomes of too many ... that the lifestyle of even seriously income challenged people in the States is one of comfort, even excess, compared to much of the world. I wonder if they can really appreciate that they are cherished & that not everybody is.

I listen to my aunt arguing with her sister while my friend ruthlessly whoops my dad's ass at chess & my granny putters about cleaning things that don't need cleaning. As the cats studiously ignore all bipeds & the kids roll collective eyeballs at everybody, I consider what I might be thankful for.

I think that it might be this that I have in spite of so many mistakes … that I've lived this life, yet have another to go for. I love this family & I'm grateful for it, the often-turbulent blend of personalities, precocious kids, for purring cats & a slobbering grandbaby, a warm home with good food, books & music & leisure.

Knowing that all of this is changing & always has while it oddly stayed the same only brings me to taking a minute to look it over, to enjoy it & lock it into memory. Kids are growing & expanding their scope, some of us are playing an end game & doing it gracefully while I find myself solidly in the mid game with years more change ahead of me. I think I'm most thankful for having all of this and that future of change to look forward to.

Pretty sappy, but I'm wondering what others are really thankful for. I think we often get too wrapped up in the difficulties of achieving what we want to really enjoy what we have ... and maybe forget that real happiness is in the striving & not necessarily in the having. Even so, I'm looking around a house that's really more crowded than I prefer & thinking that I have it all & always have.

The fact that I can & will have more just blows my mind.

Troubledour

(I still think we could use a forum for general chatter … couldn’t find a place to put a mindless ramble like this)

[delmarrey]

I'm just thankful I'm not Middle Eastern. The HATE runs rampant over there!

But also thankful to be an American being able to celebrate a Thanksgiving!

[Stede]

Thanksgiving

This is a very special Thanksgiving to me, and I have much to be thankful for. Most importantly, I’m thankful that God sent his son Jesus, to die on the cross for all our sins. Knowing him as my personal savior is most important to me. I know that all blessings flow from him.

My wife was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer about five years ago. My sister in law was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor about four months ago. I’m thankful that they are both still here with us, and the goodness that God has shown to them, and our family to help us get through these difficult times. Good health is a precious commodity. I’m very thankful for mine.

This year, we’ve witnessed war and trouble around our world. I have two sons which are in the military. I’m thankful for the service that they and others, both past and present have given our great country. Freedom is a precious commodity.

Family. I’m so very thankful for my family. Material things will come and go, but family is our flow of life. There may be turbulence in the flow at times, but the solitude of the family is a most precious thing. Our many friends through this walk of life also add joy to the flow.

I’m thankful for abundance. Here in the United States we have so much. There are so many elsewhere in the world that have so little. As we sit down today and enjoy a turkey and all the trimmings, I’ll be thankful for the food on our table. Seeing the hunger of an impoverished child is such a horrible thing. I’m thankful that our nation tries to help others in the world that are less fortunate than we are.

Yes, I have much to be thankful for this year. I know today will be a blessing, and have hope for a better tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

[tenknots]

all the things I haven't done yet that drive me to do them.