Giving Thanks

 

In case you hadn’t noticed, Thanksgiving arrives on Thursday. 2024 has flown by.

When I was growing up, Thanksgiving wasn’t that big a deal. I can remember going to one of my uncle’s houses a couple of times but mostly it was quiet. My dad’s food allergies kept us from having a turkey and I never knew what dressing was.

My wife’s family was quite different. I can remember when I first starting coming around, we would start the day with breakfast at her grandmother’s house, maybe go rabbit hunting, come back to my mother-in-law’s house for lunch, then as soon as we could stuff anything else in, return to her grandmother’s house for a second lunch.

As my mother-in-law’s health began to deteriorate, we moved the Thanksgiving celebration to my house, where it has remained ever since.

Food prep has already begun and gets quite intense over the next couple of days. I’m actually taking off work on Tuesday, mostly to help with that.

For a good part of the past 27 years, I haven’t been much help.  There is this really cool tradition with Maryville High School football--when the team qualifies for the semi-finals of the state championship, they have a special practice on Thanksgiving morning.

It starts that morning with breakfast, prepared by the senior dads. After a time of fellowship and sharing, the team heads to the field for a final practice before the game the next day.

It’s usually crisp and cold—perfect football weather. It was my second favorite football practice of the year. And we were there every year but two between 1997 and 2020.

What was my favorite football practice of the year?  Any practice the following week.  Because that means we won and were headed for the state championship game.

I have to say that my wife did not really welcome my absence. Her house was about to be filled with 20+ people and her main/best helper was not around. But since I gave up MHS football after the 2020 season, she has had her right hand man, her “beck and call” boy, there for the whole process.

All that leads up to why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Everybody is there. It’s the best of times.  My wife prepares everybody’s favorite dishes. We get to simply enjoy each other. And we never forget to be thankful for our bountiful lives.

I’m thankful for a wife that tolerates my absences, my work, my hobbies and my quirks. 48 years is a long time.

I’m thankful for adult kids that still allow us to be a part of their lives. That’s more rare than you might think. And for you parents that are facing an empty nest—don’t fret too much. There is nothing better than adult kids.

Unless it’s grandkids. I have seven of them, and they’re all wonderful in their own way. From the college girl to the least one that screams my name and jumps into my arms every time she sees me. I seem to spend more time with a couple of the boys in the middle, my tennis player and my football player, but that’s ok. I hope they remember this time as fondly as I know I will.

I’m thankful for good health, meaningful work, great friends, good food, and the opportunity to live here.

I hope you have a good day and have plenty to be thankful for.