Humpday Happenings...
What say we kick politics to the curb for a spell, and concentrate on more "important" things...like Thanksgiving...and family, hmm?
When I was deciding what to post today, I found myself having a serious case of Deja Vu.
Then, I knew why...
So, I decided to lift a large part of last year's Thanksgiving post and place it right here (again), just in case you weren't a reader of this blog a year ago. And if you WERE, then you're probably going to be glad I posted it anyway, as I feel it says much about every one of us.
Enjoy.
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'Twas the Humpday Before Thanksgiving...
Ok, so it's never going to become a poem, big whoop.
But we can now officially proclaim that the "holiday" season is upon us (starting tomorrow, anyway).
I will say that if there was ANY day that was worth staying home and filling one's face, it was Thanksgiving.
A long time ago (in a city far, far away), my mom always made a real "sit-down" dinner on Sundays, but she pulled out ALL the damn stops on Thanksgiving Day. Only Christmas and Easter dinners came close to Turkey day.
Now we were only a family of THREE (five if you count our dogs, Heidi & Sandy), and you'd think it wasn't that big a deal...but for mom...it WAS.
We had to put the center leaf in the dinner table to hold ALL the food she made.
But there was a method to her "madness"...
We had leftovers for literally weeks!
And back then, being frugal with one's finances was pretty close to being "Job-One".
Dad didn't make all that much at the plant where he ran a lithography press (printed on sheet metal for cans), and having luxuries such as (taken for granted today) a CAR...or a COLOR TV were on the back burner. Dad got a ride to work, or took a few buses (when they ran in snowy weather, that is).
So mom & dad made sure I always had a warm place to sit and sleep, food on our table, and a real reason to be truly thankful, not just on ONE day, but all year long.
And somehow, we're kinda missing that today.
Many large families are scattered across the country (if not the globe), and having everyone together gets harder and more expensive every year. The fortunate ones that CAN have family gather for Thanksgiving, manage to do so.
But there is always that "empty chair" at the table...
It could be due to a loved one's passing this past year, or it could be a soldier's deployment overseas, or perhaps a family member is too ill or getting too far along in years to make the journey for Thanksgiving.
Whatever the reason, those of us remaining muddle on. Such is my case this year.
Traditions are what I like to call the "icing on life's cake".
It's something you look forward to, and in many cases, you LIVE for every year.
It doesn't have to be the biggest or the best...just the most cherished.
And making it a bit "fun" doesn't hurt one bit. either.
My wife and I have been doing such a thing for almost a decade with our Aunt and Uncle in Portland.
We invited them up for Thanksgiving dinner one year...and it stuck like glue.
Every year, they'd arrive around noon, and we'd do our Thanksgiving "dinner" (more like a late lunch...a BIG late lunch/dinner/buffet) at our house, with all the trimmings (and those gifts for the lucky participants like the holiday stuffed bears we get them every year - they now need a larger sofa to accommodate them all). Yeah, it's not much, but my wife and I ALWAYS put our hearts into it, and it's become the closest thing to recapturing what I once had with my parents. And yes, it WAS worth the work that went into it...definitely worth it.
Like I say, you can't "redo" a past tradition...you CAN however, make new ones. And that's exactly what we did.
Sad thing is, our aunt and uncle are getting up and years, and that 45 minute drive from Portland and back again becomes taxing on them both. And this year, they reside in a nursing home in Portland. Yes, it's become too difficult to perform life's simple things for themselves, but both of them have enjoyed what we used to call a "really good run" in life.
So this year (again), it's just my wife and myself (and the cats).
Again...more empty chairs.
But I plan to conduct our "dinner" as usual.
I'll still be up early, making the stuffing, peeling potatoes (memories abounding there), setting the table, and being thankful for what we have, and who we can share it (and ourselves) with, even if it's each other (and the two cats...lol).
We haven't really done away with our tradition...we've just "modified" it to suit the new parameters specific to the venue.
When life tosses you lemons...you get your ass in gear and make LEMONADE, eh?
It will seem odd to not hear them pull into the driveway this year (as it was last year), and I'd being lying if I said otherwise.
Then again, this is no more unusual than what will be happening across dinner tables around the country.
Few will be the dinner tables that do not have an empty chair.
But life is like that.
Life, like time does move on. It is always in flux...it has currents and eddies.
It carries every one of us along on our own journey.
Our task is to make sure we can adapt as need be; to be able to still enjoy every moment given to us, and to make those moments mean something not only to ourselves, but to those whose lives we touch, as well as those who have touched OUR lives.
And THAT...is definitely something to be thankful for.
Thanks, Mom & Dad...for everything.
Couldn't have made it this far without you.
To all our warriors that cannot be home with their loved ones and to all the men and women of our law-enforcement and fire departments...you are not, nor ever shall be forgotten. We will ALWAYS have a chair reserved for YOU at our tables
So to one and all...DO have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving, no matter where you find yourself.
And there you have it...now go have yourselves a great holiday.
We'll catch you on the flip side, so...
Stay safe out there, America.