Giving Thanks On Thanksgiving

Nov 23, 2009 | Writing

I have always looked forward to Thanksgiving.  Christmas is still my favorite, but I am fiercely protective of Thanksgiving. 

 

I’m just sayin’ . . . 

Personally, I don’t allow myself to look at store displays or listen to radio stations that seem determined to trample Thanksgiving and Halloween in their frantic push to get us to spend our money.  Heck, you know if they could back up, roll over Labor Day, and get a bite of the 4th of July, they’d do that too!

Cornacopia Tag

Thanksgiving is a lot of things to a lot of people.  Most of us have time marked in the hallways of our minds around a certain Thanksgiving or two . . . Granddaddy’s last one, the one when mama burned the turkey, or the one when you finally graduated from the card table and got to eat at the big table.  With the adults.  Remember?  You were twenty-seven. 

My sister and I remember great Thanksgivings while we were growing up with Mama and Daddy at our grandparent’s house.  I spent one Thanksgiving working at a Zippy Mart in Auburn, Alabama and another at a friend’s house.  A few years ago, I was overseas with our troops for Thanksgiving.  I actually spoke at a makeshift hospital in the morning, traveled to another location, and that evening served food to a line of happy young people with trays in one hand and M-16’s in the other.

This Thanksgiving, I will be at home with family and friends.  And we will do something my father planted in my mind years ago.  We will be thankful.  Now, I know that seems to go without sayin’, but stay with me here.  Is it slightly possible that we become overwhelmed by all the hooplah and forget to be purposefully grateful on this, the one day of the year set aside for that specific purpose?

 

I’m just sayin’. . .

Indian Corn

As you get ready for this wonderful holiday with your family, I hope you’ll take the time to listen as I read this Thanksgiving story to you.  Okay?  Close your eyes.  It’s just you, me, Polly, the boys, and a few friends in our living room.  This is Chapter 15 from Return To Sawyerton Springs.

Happy Thanksgiving.  And as this one unfolds, remember that I am grateful for you.

 

Your friend,

Andy  

Explore

  • Rising Tiger with Brad Thor
    Rising Tiger with Brad Thor

    Tune in to hear Brad talk about his latest book – Rising Tiger – and why he named his protagonist Scot Harvath when he began writing the series. Listen as he shares the interesting story behind why his book The Last Patriot was banned in Saudi Arabia, hear he and…

    Read More »
  • The Courage to Pivot with Brandon McCraney
    The Courage to Pivot with Brandon McCraney

    Tune in to hear Brandon share how he walked away from a successful corporate career and taking a leap of faith into the world of whiskey-making. A former Air Force captain with an academic background that includes Harvard, Brandon explains how a lifelong curiosity about bourbon evolved into an award-winning…

    Read More »
  • Just Andy…and a Few Thoughts on Writing
    Just Andy…and a Few Thoughts on Writing

    This week, Andy answers several questions from a family who is interested in hearing Andy talk about his writing style and how he perceives what he does. We’re tackling questions about writers Andy admires, his process for improving, things we don’t know about his writing and MORE! Tune in to…

    Read More »
  • How to Maximize Your Morning
    How to Maximize Your Morning

    Do you ever ask yourself how you could possibly fit everything you need to do into a single day? How about whether you’ll be able to fit all the things you want to do into the rest of your lifetime? I hear questions like these all the time. And when…

    Read More »
  • How to Do What You Love and Get Paid for It
    How to Do What You Love and Get Paid for It

    Is it possible to do what you love for a career? There is a simple answer to that question. Then again, EVERYTHING IS SIMPLE, when you know the answer… Have you ever said this? “I’d love to find a better job, but there are no other jobs.” If you haven’t said it, I…

    Read More »

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This