I was driving my kiddos to school on Tuesday morning when my five year old son Leo asked, "How many days 'til thanksgiving dad?" I said "Two wakeups!" to which 4 year old Jordan Grace chirped "that means we go to school today, go to sleep, WAKEUP, play all day, go to sleep, WAKEUP and then its THANKSGIVING!"
“Yep, that’s exactly right my girl” I said smiling into the rear view mirror.
The third member of my tribe, 5 year old Ella, chimed in "Daddy, we learned a poem for thanksgiving, want to hear it?"
"Of course, go ahead" I encouraged.
Ella began in a slow deliberate almost angelic tone to share the following;
“When the pilgrims first gathered together to share / with their native American friends in the mild autumn air/ they lifted their voices in jubilant praise/ for the bread on the table, the berries and the maze / for fields and forests, for turkey and deer / for the bountiful crops they were blessed with that year / they were thankful for these as they feasted away / As they were thankful, we are thankful today.”
I had tears in my eyes as I watched her in the rear view mirror concentrate to remember all those lines, saying them slowly and with great care. It was beautiful.
I gathered my composure and said "Ella that was amazing, thanks for sharing. Did you know that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of all?" Leo said "Really? How come?"
"Well, the first thing is I love the smell!"
"THE SMELL?!" The kids roared in laughter.
Yes, the smell! You see, every thanksgiving morning since I can remember from deep into my childhood, my mom or grandmother has put a turkey in the oven at 6 AM or so, and by the time my lazy butt gets up, the entire house is warmed by the one of a kind smell of a roasting turkey. That is a special smell that has always marked a special day.
Like music can provoke intense memories, so does smell for me. The smell of turkey waffling though the house all day on Thanksgiving has that effect. It has always represented a family gathering and celebration of some sort, so much so that whenever I came home from college or on my birthday in July, my mom would make me a turkey and then my wife would do the same for Father’s day because it was my favorite meal.
And then, there was Turkey Day 1978 in Doylestown Pennsylvania, when my high school (CB EAST) football team was finally supposed to be competitive with the cross town rival, national powerhouse CB West. I was the starting quarterback my junior year, and I left my house that morning for the game and the turkey was already in the oven. It was supposed to be a great day. The kickoff was at 11 AM for the Turkey Day Classic, and I actually scored the first touchdown of the game. But, it went downhill from there, and we lost that day 7-52. I don’t even think I ate any turkey that day. I was devastated. I think our entire high school waited for the rematch next year, Thanksgiving 1979. The game was so anticipated it had to be played at the local college stadium. And all I can tell you is that my turkey that afternoon was the sweetest of my life after we won the game, defeating archrival CB WEST for the first time in school history to win the league championship. I have won football bowl games in college, and been to Super Bowls in the NFL, but that accomplishment of our team and our school was the biggest dream come true I have ever been part of. It makes me smile even today as I write about it.
So the smell of turkey has deep emotional meaning for my heart and that’s why it is my favorite holiday!
But as I have gotten older, hopefully more mature, and moved past my GLORY DAYS of winning a high school football game, I realize how significant the THANKSGIVING holiday really is meant to be. A day when the entire nation stops, comes together in fellowship and celebrates gratitude, appreciation and abundance. Families gather, bow heads and give thanks for everything, from country, to health, to each other and to the abundance of a turkey meal. We all eat too much, and I usually have to undo the top button of my pants halfway through the meal. We laugh until it hurts and then our family always ends up on the couches and the floor, covered by grandma’s crocheted blankets, lying in front of the TV with football games on all afternoon. We all burp, and pass gas, laugh and say “excuse me” for hours, until… sometime between 6:30 and 8:00 pm, when invariably we all get our second wind, and hit the fridge, reopen the turkey leftovers and cranberry sauce, heat up the mashed potatoes and broccoli casserole, cover it with stuffing and gravy, pour a big glass of milk and stuff our bellies again a second time in one day. And I LOVE IT.
Thanksgiving is my favorite day of the year for all those reasons!
So, I just want to wish you and your family the greatest Thanksgiving ever, remembering to actually GIVE THANKS, and to feel appreciation and gratitude for all our blessings. Because, the reality is that when we find ourselves in a posture of thanksgiving, it is impossible to hold onto anger, fear, un-forgiveness or prejudice. And that is what our world needs more of, more people in a posture of giving thanks and appreciation. So have a wonderful, blessed and memorable holiday. Go ahead and eat as much as you want!
Amen and AMEN.