It is early on Thanksgiving morning.
Just me and the cat...and a 13 pound turkey which is just beginning
to sizzle in the oven. Nothing says Happy Thanksgiving like sticking
your hand up the freezing cold body cavity of a 13 pound
semi-flightless fowl.
Not quite done yet... |
Thanksgiving has long been my favorite
of the winter holidays. And Thanksgiving morning is one of my
favorite mornings. I am usually the only human up early, the rest
taking a few extra hours to rest up for the big food and Home Alone
marathon.
The quiet gives me a chance to reflect
on all those things I have to be thankful for: home, health, family.
Yada Yada Yada
This year, however, while still
thankful for these things, recent events have put a new spin on them,
at least in my head.
My 'home' has always been the Midwest.
I grew up in a farming community surrounded by men in overalls and
feed caps and women who simultaneously baked pies and crocheted
tablecloths. These men and women also called the Midwest home. But
for many of their parents Cornfield, Illinois was not the first
'home' they knew. In my case, Germany and France and England's
Ireland were home. Those people made the decision to leave lands
where their families remained, where the language was familiar, to
make the difficult crossing by sea, some with infants and small
children, to an unknown country with only the promises made on a
copper and iron statue.
I do not know if they left because they
were under persecution, feared for the lives of their children. I can
only assume that they took that frightening voyage after much
deliberation in hopes of providing a better life.
They came here, worked hard, settled
into and became part of permanent communities and now their
descendants call this land home.
Thank you, not only to those who took that brave step, but to those who welcomed them.
These guys are not all that Thankful. In fact, they are rethinking the whole immigration policy. |
I work in healthcare. So in a way, I
have to feel thankful for everyone's health...or lack thereof.
Every day I work, I care for people experiencing health events which I
mentally add to the list of things I NEVER want to experience myself.
Thank you?
This motivation to avoid tubes sticking
out of natural and man made orifices has led me, most days, to eat
better and exercise.
Not today of course.
But tomorrow...
Today my immediate family will be
gathering at our house for dinner. We are missing a few very loved
members, who thankfully are safe and sound with family elsewhere. But
this is not the family I am speaking of today.
Today I am speaking to my work family –
you know who you are. If you break it down, some weeks we spend more
time with work people than with blood relations. And just like blood
relations, work people are fun, annoying, aggravating and wonderful.
They can be broken down into little brother, big sister, weird aunt
and creepy uncle status.
We have differing opinions and
different working styles.
But when things go south we are there for
one another. And over the nearly 10 years I have worked with this
family things have gone south, really south quite a few times.
And things went south one morning this
past week. Like nearly South Pole South. I can't really go into the
actual event except to say that at present everyone is okay and this
is one of those things that is HIGH on my list of THINGS I NEVER WANT
TO HAPPEN TO ME.
And as often happens, it is when things
are truly bad that you see the best in people. The outpouring of
support for my work family has been overwhelming.
We are all guilty of gripping about
work, not wanting to go, not wanting to stay, wishing we were
anywhere else.
But damn it.
Now I don't think I could go anywhere
else.
Thank you.
I chose to call this post Three Little
Birds. It is one of my favorite songs and even though it is a simple
concept, it is a powerful one.
From the Coast of Illinois
Have a safe and Happy
Thanksgiving.
Come back next week for a new installment of
TALES FROM THE CARIBBEAN...JAMAICA EDITION