Last Thursday was Thanksgiving, the day that we are reminded to be thankful for all our many blessings. I think this particular holiday settles in on us all and we are overwhelmed with thankfulness. The day is filled with loved ones, lots of good food and we are given somewhat of a reprieve from our day-to-day lives. At the end of this very special day, our hearts, as well as bellies, are full to the brim.
Throughout my lifetime, this day has been spent enjoying my family and my friends. I always went to Granny’s house or Bigma’s house to eat and visit. They are both gone now, but I cherish the memories and the time that we shared. I’m not sad they are gone; I’m thankful they were here, and I was able to share so much with them. Their presence, their love and of course their cooking always made Thanksgiving very special for me.
Thanksgiving has always meant another day of outdoor activities for me as well. Usually, shooting ducks, dove hunting, and of course, quail hunting. As soon as Thanksgiving dinner was over, back in my younger days, I would be headed to Louisville with whatever birddogs I had at the time loaded in the back of the truck. I was on my way to Sonny Lamb’s house to go bird hunting. In the Deep South, bird hunting means quail hunting. Shooting doves is a whole other subject.
Sonny was really like a second father to me, he was quite a colorful character, but he was as good as gold. Especially to me - he introduced me to quail hunting at a very young age and took me under his wing, so to speak. He loved me and I loved him; it was as simple as that. We would bird hunt until dark and then go back to his house for the Thanksgiving meal. I can still feel the warmth coming from the fireplace and the wonderful aroma coming from the kitchen. It was living at its finest.
Miss Pat, Sonny’s wife, would take a huge, cast iron pan full of dressing out of the oven to go along with all of the other wonderful dishes she had prepared. We would all sit down to eat and be thankful. It was such a grand time to be alive and just relish in the simple act of living.
Sonny and Miss Pat are both gone now. I think back on all the years we were able to spend together, and a smile comes across my face. Their children, who are like siblings to me, continue to have a Thanksgiving meal at Sonny and Miss Pat’s house. This year it was held on Saturday after Thanksgiving. Although it was on a different day, the sentiment, the feeling I had, were all very much the same. Truth be told, when I turned in the driveway, water started leaking from my eyes as I thought back on all the years we were so fortunate to be together.
Thanksgiving, this time of year in general, it all means so much to me. The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is absolutely special to me. During this time each year, the tears flow rather freely from my eyes. I’m overwhelmed by my emotions as I am filled with gratitude and thankfulness for all that I have been given.
This year, I am filled with an even greater amount of thankfulness than ever before. I came back from the dead. In February, I was told that my chances of survival were not very high, but by the grace of God, I carved another turkey this Thanksgiving. I suffered a great loss this year as my mother went to be with the Lord. I find great peace in knowing where she went. I have had a very eventful year to say the least. I continue to give thanks in spite of it all.
With all the many things that we all have to be so very thankful for, sadly, within twenty-four hours, many of us forget all about giving thanks. There are many folks who are up and gone before daylight in an effort to be first in line at a “Black Friday” sale. Pushing and shoving, screaming even, in order to get some particular item. It is truly amazing how just the day before our hearts were so full of love. Our culture has been brainwashed by over-commercialization. May we all stop and remember why we felt so thankful just a day before.
I’ve never been to a Black Friday sale. Ever. Not one. On the Friday after Thanksgiving, I’m still doing exactly the same things as I was the day before; visiting, eating and enjoying all that I’ve been given. The closest I came to going to a Black Friday event was loading my black lab in the front seat of my truck and going for a ride on some old, dirt roads. My truck is covered in dust from being on those old roads, but the look on my dog’s face was priceless, now that’s something I’m truly thankful for.
