Many of the holidays we are supposed to “celebrate” are actually considered just another day off from work, despite their well-intentioned meaning.
Honoring presidents and civil rights leaders and labor and those who died for our country is a wonderful thing to do. Most of the time, however, on those days we are not memorializing those who passed away for us or before us – we’re taking a day to barbecue or go to the beach.
Thanksgiving is different.
It’s still one of those holidays when we’re glad not to have to go to work for a day or two, but a lot of people actually use the day to express thanks for their blessings – even if it’s for a fleeting moment at the dinner table as the turkey is sitting there all plump and juicy.
By 9:30 a.m. last Thursday, my wife and I had each gotten a text from friends wishing us and our family a happy Thanksgiving – though her friend’s 7:13 a.m. message woke us up when the phone beeped. Thanks a lot. Another family friend included us on an e-mail in which he thanked everyone in his life for helping him through a tough year.
My sister, brother-in-law and niece were already at our house helping prepare the day’s feast; my sons were doing some sort of wrestling/tackling boy thing; my mother-in-law had dropped off a side dish; my wife was stuffing the turkey; and I was wondering if the waffles I just ate would hold me over until our 3 o’clock meal.
The sky was gray but the house was warm, with the scent of fresh-brewed coffee wafting through the halls. The fireplace was loaded with wood that would soon become a crackling blaze and I was wearing sweats and furry boots, with no need to shower or shave or dress like an adult for a few more hours.
There was a full slate of football on television scheduled throughout the day and the Christmas music channel had made its annual return to one of the stations on our satellite TV system.
We were looking forward to hosting the Thanksgiving meal, a responsibility that meant doing dishes and taking out trash and doling out leftovers in doggie-bags. These were all worth it, though, as a gathering of family and friends turns the house into a home and gives true meaning to the name of the holiday.
On this day there was no concern about job security or homework or basketball practice. I was wondering if I would be able to eat three kinds of stuffing, two kinds of gravy, and four kinds of pie. Those are genuine concerns, but challenges I was willing to face.
I’ve learned from experience that if I take it easy on the stuffing, I can usually throw down a slice of pumpkin cheesecake and a few scoops of chocolate ambrosia and wash it down with coffee. Because we started eating so early, I could even go back for a cold piece of turkey, some cobbler, and whatever mystery dessert hides below the flaky-crusted thing that grandma brought.
Then at night, after everyone has left and the house has been cleaned, we could lie in bed and be thankful for the great family and friends with which we have been blessed. I could also be thankful that the third helping of dessert didn’t put me into a sugar coma.
Despite our various problems and worries, there is much to be thankful for in our lives. Sometimes it takes a day like Thanksgiving to remind us to slow down and recognize those things every now and then.
By the way, since the Free Lance will no longer be publishing a Friday issue, I’m thankful that you can still catch my column every week from now on in the pages of The Pinnacle – starting this week.
Adam Breen teaches newspaper and yearbook classes at San Benito High School and is a reporter for The Pinnacle newspaper. He is former editor of The Free Lance.
