Dear Reader:

The other night as I was heading home along Highway 17 I blinked and then blinked again….three houses had their Christmas lights already up. Stores have been overlooking Thanksgiving for several years now and I am sadly resigned to that…but really….Christmas lights before Thanksgiving?

I am very protective of Thanksgiving…it is my favorite holiday! We can ‘gather together’ just for the sake of being together. There are few times with our busy families that this happens, so for me, these family get-togethers feel like being on ‘holy ground.’

An article that I really liked popped up while I was trying to see if I was a lone maverick with my feelings or if other people are saddened by the loss of this wonderful time to gather together. I found a fellow Thanksgiving fan…here are some excerpts

“Let’s Not Give Up on Giving Thanks”

Gene Deason

…Don’t we hear too often the expression….”Let’s just get through Thanksgiving and then we can concentrate on this or that Christmas problem. “Let’s just get through Thanksgiving“- sounds pretty cold.

Nevertheless, doesn’t it seem that too often, it’s precisely how it is? There are traditions to be upheld, chaotic travel schedules to be met, added workloads if you’re in retailing, and kitchen chores on top of kitchen chores for those responsible for preparing and cleaning up after the big meal.

Thanksgiving has certainly changed since the first time settlers from Europe and native Americans sat down together, simply sharing a meal in appreciation for mere survival. I can imagine they were deeply sincere about their thankfulness.

Today, with so much physical excess in many of our lives, Thanksgiving Day becomes routine. We mention something about being thankful, talk religion and politics with relatives we haven’t seen in a year, and grumble when the meal isn’t put away before kickoff.

If that’s your Thanksgiving experience, you are truly blessed. We should acknowledge it, even as we think we should be doing better than this.

But for too many, Thanksgiving is little more than a day much like the days faced by our country’s first settlers. They are struggling to survive, just hoping somehow to put food on the table and clothes on their backs.

Perhaps on this holiday, they will be blessed with the spirit of hope, because we live in a land where opportunities for better lives exist. Also, they are often blessed by the generosity of neighbors — people who recognize the needs of others when compared to their own abundance, and decide to use a portion of that abundance to make the lives of those less fortunate a bit easier.

As the observance of Thanksgiving has evolved in American society, it has also evolved within our families. Traditions change, so where the meal is served, the family members who participate, and the activities that surround holiday gatherings are different. Some find it impossible to be there due to work, distance or health. The passage of time means older generations pass away while the new generations are born.

While a few traditions may get passed along and perhaps endure, the details of such family gatherings are transient. For some, the greatest blessing of Thanksgiving is the opportunity to make new memories. For others, the greatest blessing is cherishing those memories.

Thanksgiving is a holiday that all Americans can share, regardless of religion or creed. The busy week ahead is only the first in a series of hectic weeks leading up to Christmas, but we still find time — somehow — to give thanks. Thanksgiving is alive and well in our past memories and new customs…and that’s okay too…for both we give thanks.

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I was trying to remember what number year our Pre-Thanksgiving dinner was….checked with last year’s and I didn’t put a number beside it… so I must not have known then either. But the number of times doesn’t matter…just the people!

I can hardly wait to see everyone again, especially my new grand-nephew, Rhodes….a baby makes such a difference in how we view life…Rhodes represents hope for the future and adoration for the present.

I hope everyone has a memorable Thanksgiving and thank you so much for your prayers and comments yesterday over my latest health issues…a new chapter in the book of life…it’s going to be the best yet!

So until tomorrow…Let’s replace a speed bump for Thanksgiving with a STOP sign. This holiday deserves more time than a quick slow- down and pause…it deserves a stop to our busyness in life.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

The flowers are starting to take shifts sleeping…some of the summer flowers are getting ready to hibernate while others, like the pansies, are just waking up to cooler weather. (Will share more of the awake flower photos tomorrow)

Remember: Every Day is a GOOD DAY!