Something to Be Thankful For

Some time in the past few months a turkey laid down his life for my benefit. A thoughtful farmer planted some sweet potatoes with me in mind. Cranberries were harvested from a bog, bread was cut into little cubes and allowed to dry out to be mixed with seasoning for dressing or stuffing, if you prefer. All of these items will be carefully prepared by loving hands and then the call to the table will come.

Amidst a rush of scrambling feet, legs, arms and elbows, seats will be taken. The leader of the gathering of family and friends will lovingly, yet firmly, ask the participants to join hands, or bow their heads together for the giving of thanks.

The prayer will be sincere. It will include thanks for family, friends, jobs, health and all of the provisions for which we can rejoice and show gratitude. The longer the prayer, the more fidgety the crowd will become. Thoughts of the food getting cold will trespass into the mind. Perhaps others will be strategically planning how to get the best cut of moist breast meat and mom's outrageously good stuffing, before it is decimated by the guaranteed food frenzy that will follow the conclusion of the prayer.

Finally the Amen is pronounced, echoed by an enthusiastic chorus. Moms and Dads fix plates for toddlers. The children are dismissed to the kids table. It dawns on an awkward teenage member of the family that there will be no room at the "big" table and she will be relegated to eating with a bunch of younger cousins. You'll never experience a teenager eat and asked to be dismissed so quickly. The family pet parks itself underneath the table partly to avoid the ear pulling from the toddlers but knowing instinctively it will get an orb of people food previously forbidden.

Laughter penetrates the air as previous Thanksgiving memories are shared. One of the toddler nephews manages to get a pea stuck in his nose. Not to be outdone, a younger niece discovers that turkey gravy makes an excellent hair gel. Then panic ensues! A member of the family is in distress. The mandatory Heimlich maneuver is administered to Uncle Joe, who always seems to laugh too hard with his mouth full. After the initial scare, the feeding orgy continues.

Eventually the plates are filled, then emptied and some are filled again. It gets quieter by the moment. Partially because of contented palettes and stomachs but also because of the increased levels of tryptophan taking its toll. Family members begin to roll out of their seats and head toward the couches. The volume level of the television set is turned up so that football junkies can experience the game as if they were there live. The decibel level grows as other conversations compete. The mood will be determined by the score of the game. If the home team is winning, it will be a great holiday. If they lose, it will merely be a good one.

Somewhere along the line, at one time or another, most of the people gathered in the house will slip away for a few moments. Some mentally, some physically, but most will enter into a short period of reflection, which looks remarkably like a nap. They will gather all of the sounds, sights and smells and synthesize them into a warm memory clip to be filed away for future years. Those few quiet moments, individual and hardly every collective, will be the reason for the holiday. For a few moments, everyone will get along. All past hurts will be set aside. Hope for a better tomorrow will linger in the mind and heart. There will be a sense that things are good, and can continue that way.

During that moment, a contented sigh and a whisper of thanks will be directed to the one who births hope in our hearts. The Great Reconciler will appear by faith. And thanksgiving is in order.

"Father, I pray that this holiday will be filled with fun, family and faith. That all of my readers will be filled with your joy. That peace will reign in their hearts. That praise and thanksgiving will flow freely from their lips. Grant them forgiveness as a gift as they give it and receive it. And may they all take a moment to look toward heaven from which our richest blessings come, and give you thanks for all they have, and all you are. For the glory of your son. Amen."

From our home to yours, have a Happy Thanksgiving.