Giving Thanks

If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough. – Meister Eckhart

Let us all give thanks this day and every day. So many people in the US are traveling to be with family. I cannot understand that. Truly, why take the chance for a day or two of eating together? There are many ways to stay safe no matter what you do. I have three kids in three different states and my wife is away. So I will be celebrating by giving thanks for them being in my life.

Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude. – A.A. Milne

I have been puzzling over how to keep moving forward through this pandemic. Here in the US, millions are setting off on the road and in the air. The flights overseas are incredibly limited. Massive airports are empty. I am one of those people who enjoys airports. When I was a little boy, my hero-uncle worked at our local airport as a mechanic. We would go visit him, and it was such an amazing place to me. The international areas of airports really are one of the most incredible places to me. I miss traveling, but at my age and with my health conditions, I wouldn’t even dare get on a plane right now. This morning I was cleaning and found my travel backpack had fallen behind some things. As I cleaned it, I started thinking of where I would like to travel to, after I get to hug and be with my kids again.

My expectations were reduced to zero when I was 21. Everything since then has been a bonus. – Stephen Hawking

I would like to share my meal with all of you. From the top left to right: Stuffing – my mom made wonderful sage and cornbread stuffing, but that was decades ago. I like the tartness of cranberries, and they are essential in one form or another. My family always had creamed corn casseroles with saltine crackers – simple but the memories it brings back are priceless. Gravy – this was always one of my Dad’s favorites, and he never failed to tease my mother, asking her is the gravy wavy? Mashed Potatoes are a great filling part of the meal. I thought about adding mac and cheese also, but holy heck the carbs are already too much for me (maybe over the weekend :-). This year I am having a walnut brownie mug cake instead of pumpkin pie. Confession – I ate the pie already. I bought a small pie to share with my young remote learning students in China – and, well, it was delicious. I don’t have the room for a full size turkey any way. I’ve cooked many turkeys in my day. So this year it’s a microwave turkey dinner for me. No leftover turkey. Cold turkey is another joy I will have to do without this crazy year. Oh yeah, I gave myself a Christmas candy cane early this year, because I have been the best boy I could be.

Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. – Marcel Proust

We all must measure the risks we are willing to take. This is true every day. We can run into unexpected risks in a variety of ways. For instance, this morning I was going to wander the beach. I have been driving over instead of walking, to reduce my chance encounters with people on the way. When I got there, the tides were rolling in higher than normally. This was not a risk I was willing to take, since I have dodged tides down there that have swept all the way up the beach. Don’t take chances right now.

That’s my Thanksgiving dinner, physically alone, but with my loved ones in my heart. I hope you all are able to spend time with someone who means the world to you. If not, please find reasons to give thanks for this day, and every day. Say a little prayer for your loved ones.

Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude. – Ralph Waldo Emerson