Thoughts about Thanksgiving
…I know that we celebrated Thanksgiving a week ago, but this column marks the first time I’ve been able to express my thoughts about this year’s Turkey Day and what it meant to me. So, consider this some more Thanksgiving leftovers that I hope you’ll find to be tasty.
I know I have often referred to Halloween as being my favorite holiday, but I’ve been thinking awfully hard about this during the past week and I have to say that October 31 has now officially become my second favorite, behind Turkey Day. And the reasons for that are plentiful.
Now that I think about it, I have always looked forward to Thanksgiving, even if it is supposed to be a nice and relaxing time but it almost always ends up being a chaotic holiday thanks mostly to excited chatter, political conversations, energetic children, football games on TV and shared laughter.
And this year was no different. We had a large turnout at my Mom’s house, the dinner feast was fantastic and we all laughed at the kids’ antics and we shared tears as we reminisced about the loved ones in our lives who we’ve lost. It was also a crazy day because my beloved Washington Redskins took on their arch-rivals the Dallas Cowboys, and my brother and I were ferociously rooting for our respective teams. (My mother commented that our arguments reminded her of Thanksgivings past when our teams played each other and fought like cats and dogs, and it was not a fond memory.)
So even though the dreaded Cowboys won, it was still a terrific holiday because we were able to share it together.
Truthfully, I greatly anticipate Thanksgiving every year because it always reminds me that I have a lot to be thankful for. More than any other holiday, I cherish Thanksgiving because it reminds me to be grateful for the many blessings in my life, such as my health, my wife and son, my family members and my friends.
I am also especially grateful for my parents for teaching me valuable life lessons while I was growing up that helped me become the person I am today, and I am extremely thankful for the love and kindness that my wife has given me over the years, especially when I feel I have not given enough in return.
And I am especially thankful for the joy that our son Bryson has blessed us with ever since the day he was born, and I am eternally grateful to God for bringing him into our lives and keeping him healthy, happy and safe.
I also realize how meaningful Thanksgiving is to me because the holiday was absolutely one of my father’s favorite days of the year; he loved it because it is one of the very few annual holidays that is not consumed by consumerism. He always shared his passion for being thankful to God for all of his blessings, not just on Turkey Day but every day. And he had a wonderful tradition that I always looked forward to: Around the Thanksgiving dinner table, he asked each person seated at the table to state out loud at least one thing that he or she was thankful for. This would always turn out to be a poignant and touching event that would ultimately bring tears, laughter, smiles, hugs and an even closer connection to one another. It is, and has been, a great family tradition, one that I am proud to say our family continues – and will continue – every year, even after my father’s passing.
It is my sincerest hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and had a chance to reflect on what they are thankful for…
…Well, as I type this column I am still reeling – and recovering – from my most recent Black Friday (actually, it started on Thursday) experience. No exaggeration, I once again saw the ugly side of human nature that only this phenomenon can bring.
I always marvel how the Black Friday shoppers turn into crazed animals ready to do whatever it takes to secure the items they’re after, even if they have to cut in lines, scream obscenities at people, hurt or maim those in front of them, or even just steal a hot item from someone’s cart. And, they do this just hours after they probably sat down with family and friends at a Thanksgiving dinner, where they (hopefully) bowed their heads and gave thanks for their blessings.
Anyway: My Black Friday ordeal consisted of me and some family members standing in line for long hours at Wal-Mart in order to get a great deal on a few items that we wanted to buy loved ones for Christmas. Words cannot describe just how chaotic and exhausting the experience was. Not only was it stressful and tiring to stand in line for what seemed like an eternity, but fighting the bloodthirsty shoppers to get our items was even more difficult and physically demanding than in years past. (Either the Black Friday shoppers are getting tougher, or I’m getting softer in my old age.)
And after FINALLY getting the items I fought so hard for and stood in line forever to get, Black Friday didn’t get much better. As we traveled to different stores throughout the next 24 hours in order to get a deal on some Christmas presents for our loved ones, the mobs of shoppers seemed to get larger and angrier with each hour that passed.
You know, it’s funny. Each year after Black Friday, I vow that I am never going to put myself through that again. And yet, like Charlie Brown and Lucy with the football (those of you familiar with “Peanuts” will get that reference), I’m ready to do it all over again the following year, no matter how chaotic it gets.
I think it might be time for me to seek some professional help…