Americans will celebrate Thanksgiving this week. It’s a day of football, turkey, gathering around the table and giving thanks for food, health and family. There are plenty of things to be thankful for. I want to share some of the things I’m thankful for on this day where everyone is giving thanks that they’re not a turkey.
What I’m Thankful for
I’m grateful for my children and spending a couple of days with them. They’re grateful for extra days of screens and Roblox and Minecraft. They’ll be even more grateful if I leave them alone to play Roblox and Minecraft.
I’m grateful for food and a chance to sit down to Thanksgiving dinner with my family. My kids will be grateful if they can skip dinner and just have pie.
I’m grateful for football and a chance to watch it with my children. Bonus points if we can hit Canton High School to watch Stoughton play. My children will be grateful if there’s something else on TV.
I’m grateful we live so close to Plymouth, America’s hometown. It gives me a chance to take in some history. The Boy will be grateful if we can just go home. The sooner, the better.
I’m grateful for our health and being able to walk and get other types of exercise. My children are grateful for heated cars that drive them where they want to go instead of suffering outdoors.
I’m grateful for school. It teaches my children. My children are grateful for holidays, snow days, and anything else that will get them out of school.
I’m grateful for my wife. My children are grateful if they can get time alone with her, and I can leave them alone.
Yes, there are plenty of things for me and my family to be thankful for. Sometimes we need to remind our children of this, and sometimes we need to remind ourselves of this. As you sit down to your turkey this week, I hope you’ll take a moment to see what’s around you and give thanks. We should do it more often than we do, but this week they gave us a holiday to set aside time to actually do it.
There are some disagreements as to exactly what and when things happened, but you, a loyal reader are very, VERY well aware of the truthfulness and accuracy of the stories and events recorded and shared.
This week is an exciting time for my family and I’m sure it is for your family as well. This is the time we all come together to visit loved ones or loved ones come to visit us. This is the time we all come together to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is an especially memorable time for me and Wife because it is the first time we became parents. There was one particular Thanksgiving that will always have a special place in our hearts. There are some disagreements as to exactly what and when things happened, but you, a loyal reader, are very, VERY well aware of the truthfulness and accuracy of the stories and events recorded and shared. Because of this, you know of the historical accuracy of the tale I am about to impart.
A True Story
It was a quiet Thursday morning for me and Wife. We were planning to go to my brother’s house that day. The DVR was set up to record a football game. Wife and I were seated in the living room sipping our coffees. My coffee had a little something tasty in it. A little Amaretto or Bailey’s for flavor on this leisurely morning where no one needed to go to work and it would be hours before we would need to be at my brother’s.
There was one particular Thanksgiving that will always have a special place in our hearts.
The time finally came to hit the road. We drove to my brother and his wife’s house. There we saw relatives and loved ones. We chatted and enjoyed hors d’oeuvres. Some rooms had people sitting around talking. One room had the television on where people were getting ready to watch the football game. Wife and I made our rounds and said hello to our hosts and their various guests. Everyone knew Wife was pregnant and, if they didn’t, I think they figured it out when they saw her.
Wife found a seat and rested herself. People made their way to where she was sitting and wished her a Happy Thanksgiving. Everyone wanted to know how she was doing. Would she like anything? Could they get anything for her?
Called to Dinner
People continued to talk. I divided my time and attention between the game and conversation. Then, not long after we began talking, we were called into the dining room. It was a beautiful room, elegantly decorated. The table was beautifully set with various side dishes: stuffing, vegetables, cranberry sauce, a variety of potato dishes. In one area of the table was a large bare spot. Very large.
Everything was in place. Everyone was in place. We were all ready to eat. But first, we had to give thanks for the bounty we were about to receive. After all, it was Thanksgiving.
After giving thanks, we passed sides to and fro. The turkey was carved. Wife and I passed sides to those next to us and around us. People passed sides to us. I was fortunate enough to get a drumstick, my favorite part of the turkey.
Ready to Eat
My plate was made. I was ready to go. I’ll never forget that drumstick. It was next to the mashed potatoes, which had gravy on it. The gravy was running down the potatoes and ran towards the drumstick. The tip of the drumstick had a little gravy on it. Just a little. Just enough to add a little more flavor.
Dinner Interrupted
The drumstick was in my hands and brought it to my mouth. I was about to take a bite of the crispy drumstick with just a little gravy on it. You could smell the delicious aroma of the bird. I was about to take a bite when I felt something on my arm. It was Wife tapping me and saying, “I think we need to go to the hospital.”
Two Become Three
And so we did. We said goodbye to our hosts and our fellow guests and we drove to the hospital, where we later said hello to our first child. This is the true, irrefutable story of how Wife and I first became parents. It happened on Thanksgiving. It was an exciting time, and it all happened just as you read it.
This week is an exciting time for my family, and I’m sure it is for your family.
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