Wow. Time Flies, eh?
I suppose the cliched and sentimental thing would be for me to count my blessings on Thanksgiving Day. So, pardon me if I do just that; It's hard for me *not* to become sentimental and a bit maudlin when I think about Thanksgiving Day at my Nana's (grandma's) house. From my earliest memories I can remember the extended family convening at Nana's in the late morning/early afternoon. My uncle Gerts would lead us outside to rake the leaves and sometimes to play a little football, or catch with our baseball gloves, depending on the mood. We'd rake the small ton of orange-yellow leaves down the embankment out front for pickup by the city and quickly inundate all parking spots out front. (One year we almost buried my Uncle Howard's car!)
Then we'd have dinner, with the 9 cousins (and later all the spouses as well), Nana, Great-grandparents Albright and Foster ("Grandma Florencey" to most of us), Great-Aunt Hattie, Uncle Howard (Nana's brother), and Shurrs, Gertsmeiers, and Longs all assembled. We'd have card tables for the kids, and a huge dining room table with two insert leaves for all the adults.
And the food! Uncle Gerts always carved the turkey with an electric knife into a mounded platter of steaming hot bird; plus dressing, oyster casserole, scalloped corn, green bean casserole, cranberry dressing, Nana's incomparable melt-in-your-mouth buttered rolls; and pie, pie, pie! Apple, Pumpkin, Pecan -- I can't associate any other holiday (with the possible exception of Christmas; which was a carbon-copy of Thanksgiving) with so much good food.
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So, what am I Thankful for?
First, I'd have to be thankful for my new job, which is just an absolute blast. (And the primary reason for my lack of posts this month.) It's certainly a place where there's a lot of work to be done; but working with Mentally Retarded folks gives you instant feedback and immediate satisfaction that you've done something useful. The previous holders of my position have pretty much been **a lot** slower in their work pace than I am, so I'm very much appreciated for my efforts there. (And when the Boss tells you "your energy is very much appreciated!," you know you're doing good work.)
And isn't that all we really want out of life eventually? To have been told we were good workers? (Matthew 25:21)
Second, I have to be Thankful for my Family. My wife and son have been so supportive since we moved down her (and even before, with the business bankruptcy) when everything looked incredibly bleak; yet they stood beside me and loved me unconditionally. Plus the family members who have written, e-mailed, called, and just let me know they miss us and love us through it all.
Thirdly, I’m going to be Thankful for the men and women of the Armed Forces, who hold a near-and-dear place in my heart for obvious reasons (being a Desert Storm veteran myself, for those casual web-surfers who’ve just dropped in here). I really, truly think that someday this “War on Terrorism” we’re fighting now will be looked back on by the world as the defining moment of the evolution of American from Colonial rebels to World Power to Light of the world. It’s history in the making, and these guys and girls are making it right here, right now.
And donÂ’t forget to send money to the USO for Christmas. You make a difference, too.
Finally IÂ’m going to be thankful for, of all things, the Internet. Just to the folks fighting overseas the Internet has made such a fantastic difference in being able to contact their loved ones here. I was lucky to get phone calls twice a week for ten minutes; these guys get videoconferencing for a half-hour! Plus they can web-surf their hometown newspaper for the latest news almost every day as well.
For me, it means I can post this happy little blog and keep in touch with people I havenÂ’t seen in years, but still think of often. How cool is that?
