Swimming Upstream
Thanksgiving Musings
The original Thanksgiving story may or may not be entirely true. There are a couple of versions of the story, but what is consistent is the gratitude for the blessings bestowed on us as a people and taking time to give thanks to our creator, for, in some cases, especially the early settlers, simply surviving another year and having a bountiful harvest. Imagine having crossed the ocean in a wooden boat with square rigged sails, landing on a wooded shore with no Walmart and having to find shelter and food for you and your family. We don’t know that kind of hardship today in our country. Yet these people took the time to give thanks for the very simple pleasures of family and food.
Here is one version that I think puts it in perspective:
My early memories of Thanksgiving were at my Aunt Emily (Mom’s older sister) and Uncle Hop’s (Hopkins Davies Otto) house in Berkeley Heights. We didn’t have any grandparents but they we had them. They were mom’s “rich” relatives. The word “rich” is a relative term as our rich relatives lived a simple and not extravagant lifestyle. The biggest difference was that they had a new Cadillac. As kids we would help Uncle Hop feed the birds, sweep up the leaves (he had a very cool leaf sweeper) and then watch the Macy’s parade and watch football. When Santa showed up at the end of the parade it was time to eat. Thanksgiving dinner was a simple affair with Turkey and fixin’s. I had no idea how lucky we were.
What is a better pairing than Thanksgiving turkey and football? Especially when in high school, and doubly so if your school had a great football team as ours did, but it continued on after graduation when we would get together to play sand lot football (tackle with no equipment) with our friends. And as we got older, we still would play football on Thanksgiving but would play “touch” football and sometimes our girlfriends would play too. Over the years the wide receivers were replaced with younger players and the old guys would sometimes be quarterback, not because we were any good at it, but we were too slow to run a pass route. I still look forward to the football game when the younger ones show up.
Another tradition that only the older folks will get it listening to Arlo Guthrie’s Alice’s Restaurant and the Thanksgiving Day Massacree. [sic] I believe it is still played on this day on NPR radio as a public service.
Nowadays, there are a few other activities that I associate with Thanksgiving. The day after Thanksgiving is Gingerbread house decorating at our home, where the young ones decorate houses they built from kits, followed by the Red Bank Christmas tree lighting. Saturday is always the Crazy Eddie Memorial Hash run, hosted and “hared” by the Borkoski kids and their families. Crazy Eddie really lived up to his name and the hash is the perfect way to remember him and ramble though the woods with so many fun people. Mountain biking with the guys and gals will round out the weekend. These are the things that make me happy and why Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.
Somehow in the last few years Thanksgiving has been squeezed a little bit with Halloween being the commercial start of the Christmas season. Big box stores have Christmas decorations up and some are even playing “holiday” music. I love Christmas as much as anyone but think we may be missing the importance of taking some time to give thanks for all of the things that we have, that some of our ancestors, not that long ago, could not even imagine.
Just this last week I learned of the death of a classmate from kindergarten on through high school. I pray for his family at this time of sadness, but I know that he would have wanted his family to be grateful for the time they had together and to focus on the good while we are here.
Today I look back at all of the great times and realize that I have been living the American Dream. I have so much to be thankful for that the list would be too long for a short essay. Foremost, I am lucky to have a healthy and happy family, and a great group of friends for life. Life can throw curve balls at us, but we stick together and venture on. Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the good things and be grateful for what we have and share with the people we love. I hope that everyone will have a great Thanksgiving, whatever that looks like in your world and family.
For those are having a hard time in the spirit of humor and good cheer, a little ditty to put things in perspective:
Happy Thanksgiving
Lazlo the not so deplorable today