I do not have to do much, after getting out of bed, to have lots to be thankful for....Just getting out of a warm comfortable bed after a good night's sleep is enough, but then I wander into the kitchen, put on the coffee, and turn up the heat on this chilly morning. Electricity....oh yea! And then I go out to the driveway to pick up the newspaper to read about the many conflicts around the world, and again, count my many blessings. Just to be able to look out my back window and see beautiful green grass, pine trees, and the last colors of fall in the trees is a gift that I seldom think about. But when I compare it with the war-torn areas that children have to look at (bombed-out building and rubble), and the fear in their hearts everyday....I am overwhelmed with thanksgiving. I used to tell my girls that, at the end of the day, if they could not think of anything to be thankful for, be thankful that you are not a headline on the front page of the newspaper. Enough said!
When I was growing up, Thanksgiving in our house was a dress-up affair. Even as adults, we came together, the men in suits and ties, women in skirts and dresses and children in their best outfits. Thanksgiving was special then, and honored as an important day to come together with family, share a meal , and give thanks. It also included board games for the kids, naps for the adults and football for the men. How the times have changed! Today, you can hurry through dinner in a very short time after spending hours preparing, so that you can get to the mall to begin your Christmas shopping. At first, I was horrified by this idea, but then I had to rethink. Many, many families today do not have the kind of "ideal" Thanksgiving that I had growing up, and still enjoy today; going out to the Barclay farm where Mike remembers going to his grandparents as a kid, and enjoying good family time together. Today, with fragmented families, struggling economies and worries that make you weary, many families are grateful for the distraction of going to shop and get a bargain. It is an event, and something to do that might be fun. I lament that the special traditions that make this day special are losing their importance, but I understand it. I grew up in the 50ies when marriage was solid, kids were welcome, churches were attended, and family was valued more than anything. It was a way of life that we may not see again. Just this morning I read in our newspaper that "non-traditional" families are more prevalent than the families of not so long ago. There are blessings to be had in those families as much as any but they just might choose to celebrate those blessings differently. So, let us all be thankful in our own way this Thanksgiving for the many blessings that we share in this democratic, free and safe country of ours. Those things alone are worth bowing our heads in the greatest appreciation of all. Happy Thanksgiving !
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