Thanks Giving Wherever You Are

Thanksgiving has not been a traditional family affair for Bill and me during most of our married life. On our very first Thanksgiving together he proposed to me in a seafood restaurant, having hidden the ring in a basket of rolls. We had just moved to Pittsburgh and our families lived in Chicago and Phoenix. Then over the next three decades we often celebrated the day with friends, at their homes or at ours. Our second Thanksgiving in Pittsburgh saw a nice gathering of my Mellon Bank co-workers at our first home; I think there were eight at that table.

One year we flew to Phoenix to celebrate the Thanksgiving Day 80th birthdays of my father-in-law and his twin sister; the flight was delayed so it was close to 10 p.m. before we could join Bill’s family at a restaurant in Scottsdale. Another very sad year we were in Chicago having held vigil at my father’s hospital bedside for four days when we got the 4 a.m. call on Thanksgiving morning that he died. Coincidentally, my paternal grandfather had also died that time of year; he had a fatal heart attack the day after Thanksgiving.

Some years when it was just the two of us Bill prepared the turkey and dressing; when it was my responsibility I bought turkey dinners from Boston Market! There were also many years when Bill was flying for US Airways. Sometimes I was able to get a free seat and spend it with him in another city; when I couldn’t manage to do that, I enjoyed Thanksgiving with our good friends the Kellys.

This year, our first Thanksgiving in our new hometown, we began it rather more traditionally by attending a Thanksgiving Day worship service at one of the two Lutheran churches we’ve visited. Very few churches in the Pittsburgh area would have the service on Thursday morning, opting to hold it the evening before, so this was a nice change. Later we took a 4+ mile roundtrip walk to a small community’s Main Street and peered into all the storefront windows. As Bill noted to another couple doing the same, “This is the best way to shop!” Later, we drove into south Jacksonville for a traditional turkey dinner at The Chart House, at a table with a river view.

 
So, even though Madison Avenue tries very hard to have you believe that it’s just not Thanksgiving unless you have braved weather and incredible flight delays to get home halfway across the country, don’t believe it! Thanksgiving is what’s in your heart and what comes out of your lips, whether you’re alone or crowded around the family table. Be thankful in all circumstance and above all, be a blessing to others.