A Thanksgiving Story with Extra Blessings

I was on the front porch when you drove by and I waved, regretting I did not attend the North Carolina State Fair this year and thus failed to put on extra weight for the long winter because nobody goes to the fair to eat Tofu On A Stick, you go for the funnel cake, corn dogs, and 900-calorie fried apple pies, so that in February if your car skids off the icy back road and lands upside down in a shallow creek bed and leaves you hanging from the seat belt unable to reach your cell phone, you’ll have the bulk to lean on the horn, turn on the emergency blinkers, yell “Siri, play Ray Stevens’ ‘The Streak’ at maximum volume”, and by the time the streaker appears wearing nothing but a smile (boogity, boogity) and Ray hollers “Don’t look, Ethel!”, the Sheriff’s department finds you and soon EMS will arrive. You thank God for carbohydrates.

Our lives are flush with things to be thankful for, like a beautiful November morning with clear blue skies and for the breeze of relief that will soon blow over our land as the

elections soon end. The hokey political ads will disappear. 

Her Majesty and I always vote. And I’m thankful.

Not many people in the world get to do that and sit in their pajamas the next morning and read about it over coffee and toast. There are no mobs in our streets, no burning buildings, and no soldiers breaking down doors. Sure, we start off with some bumpy distractions (Middle East conflicts, the economy) but we always clear the tree line of elections and achieve a safe altitude.

As blessings abound so should thanks. Be thankful for our great country.

America is not only great but has some really great stuff in it, like the Great Plains, a song ‘The Great Pretender’, there’s the Great Smokey Mountains, and a movie ‘The Great Escape’. We even have an upside-down mountain range so great we call it the “Grand Canyon”, and yes, it makes for great pictures.

Gratitude even abounds for what we do not have. We do not have stalking tigers, no cobra snakes, and we don’t have to hunt for our food in a jungle and ruin our Sunday clothes.

And this month, a massive expression of gratitude occurs, Thanksgiving Day.

I am grateful for Thanksgiving, a simple holiday that never mutated to commercialism so that even now, it resembles the same today as when I was a boy. We would play basketball in the cold and come to the table sweaty, our cheeks apple red.

But you do feel a pang of regret for those millions of turkeys, the unfulfilled lives they led, imprisoned and denied basic rights. Even so, they accomplished all their career goals and then were slaughtered and processed rather than moved to Florida for a comfortable retirement in a gated community. Turkeys and musicians often find success can ruin your life.

So, should we change our Thanksgiving menu? No. Never.

Something about roasted turkey says “Thank you, Lord, for your grace and your blessings.” Broccoli does not say that --- never has and never will.

If you are fortunate enough to live in this country, and find a good spouse, and a vibrant church, you’ve pretty much won the lottery despite what disgruntled progressives and the national news would have you believe. The Grand Canyon may fill up and the Smokey Mountains may crumble, but thank God we’re alive, still free, and blessed with those that will soon sit around our table.

So, give thanks for home, church, procrastination, the Constitution, knock-knock jokes, a first-rate cheeseburger, and the tragic mistakes you’ve survived. Be thankful for low humidity, grandchildren, lavender, whims, dental floss, and that God keeps His eye on the sparrow and He watches you and me. 

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving season. Stay well. Do good. Drive safe.

Readers can write to Joe at Joehudsn@gmail.com and Facebook (View from the Hudson). He is author of “Big Decisions are Best Made with Hot Dogs” and “A View from the Front Porch”.