Happy Thanksgiving!

To All of My American Friends,

Happy Thanksgiving!

I admit it. Thanksgiving is not among my favorite holidays. Growing up, it was always the most boring holidays. The adults would gather together, forcing my little brother and I to join along, and talk. Just talk. I would get looks and talked to for preferring to settle in with my book somewhere quiet while the adults mingled, snacked, and did whatever it was adults did. The food was not especially my favorite either (except the yams with marshmallows on top, the bread, the mashed potatoes and the pumpkin pie--but only my mom's pie. No one else seems to know how to make it right). I ate the turkey, but I was not a big fan. My brother got hot dogs (he was the family's hot dog king) or pizza or something different because he did not care for turkey either. If he could have whatever he wanted, why couldn't I? Because I was the oldest, that's why. I had to set an example. I was expected to act like a grown up but sit at the kids' table.

Looking back now, I appreciate those moments and time with my family and laugh at what I perceived as slights. Sure, Thanksgiving was boring for me as a child and into my teen years, but the memories those moments have left me with are some of my most treasured.

For the last few years, my husband and I have joined the crowd that eats out on Thanksgiving. Because of our work schedules and the distance from our families, we settle in together for a quiet Thanksgiving. It is our preferred way of celebrating. It is not much different from a weekend day really, other than the fact that our choice of eating locations drops considerably.

Giving thanks is something I do just about every day of my life. I have been blessed in so many ways. I have a great husband, two wonderful animals, a good job, a house over my head, and food to eat. Whenever I pass an accident or a funeral procession on the road or read about something in the news, I give a quick prayer of thanks for the health of my loved ones and myself. I offer up thanks every day at work as I hear stories that would make most hearts break. My parents were not perfect by any stretch, but they did love me and did the best they could. For that, I am grateful.

I am grateful for those who protect my country both abroad and on the home front so that I can sleep at night and go about my life during the day. I am grateful for the freedoms that I enjoy--the ability to think and voice my opinion no matter how different it may be from those in power and the ability to walk down the street whenever I want, just about however I want.

I am thankful for the beauty and nature around me and for my friends and my neighbors. I am grateful for the simple things in life that make it possible for me to live my life the way I do. And I am grateful to all those people that make it possible. Especially those who are working on Thanksgiving day!

John F. Kennedy once said, "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." I wholeheartedly concur. Thanksgiving is just one day out of the year. It is what we do every day that makes the difference.

There never fails to come a moment during that Thanksgiving meal, as the waitress refills my soda, when I miss being with the rest of the family. I long for the big family meal, the sound of that horrid football game in the background, the clatter in the kitchen, the smell of good food all around me, being on clean up duty, and the companionship of all those relatives. And yet, I cannot imagine wanting to be anywhere else than enjoying that quiet and decent meal with my loving husband, no stress, no hassles or bickering, no scraps to scrub off plates, no fighting the traffic or having to leave the cat behind (which always torments me). I am right where I want to be. And for that, I am grateful.

What we're really talking about is a wonderful day set aside on the fourth Thursday of November when no one diets. I mean, why else would they call it Thanksgiving? ~Erma Bombeck, "No One Diets on Thanksgiving," 26 November 1981