Give Thanks

T is for the 33 pound Turkey slaughtered for me to induce a food coma.

H is for Hunting for a wheelchair to make it out to the car.

A is for Always remove the bottom button on my shirt to avoid repeating the incident of '03... poor Aunt Sally.

N is for Not being with my family for the first time in 23 years on Thanksgiving. 

K is for Killing me not to be with family this year.

S is for Singing Wagon Wheel to the O'Reilly family at their dinner.

G is for Gone to the OReilly's for Thanksgiving Dinner, the nearest thing to being with my family without actually being with my family.

I is for Intending to use the bathroom 2 times tonight.

V is for Voluntarily eating 2 plates plus desert.

I is for Inching to the next notch on my belt.

N is for Never eating this much again... until next year

G is for (not) Getting any thinner.

This Thanksgiving was a new kind of Thanksgiving for me.  It was the first time in my life I have not been with my family on Thanksgiving.  There would be no huge gathering with the cousins, no Turkey bowl football game, no RISK game, no food coma.  So, this made me pretty sad quite honestly.

So, as a consolation prize, the O'Reilly family, one of the owning families of the winery invited me to their house.  As it turns out, when people have good wine palates, it usually makes them fine chefs as well.  We had the prefect meal, Turkey, gravy... you know how I love gravy, and 7 of the O'Reilly children to sing and recite poems after the meal was done in front of a fireplace.  David is as good a chef as he is a winemaker so the meal was close to a meal I could have with my family while still not being with my family.  We also drank a good amount of quality wines both from Owen Roe and other Oregon wineries.  To top it off, I was able to sing "Wagon Wheel" to the family after dinner.  Robyn, my friend and fellow homeless winery worker, also played for them.  A small repayment for the unforgettable meal.

It occurred to me this morning when I was at Mass how profoundly Christian the Thanksgiving holiday is.  What is it about?  Giving Thanks.  To Who?  To God.  To God for all the blessings we have in our lives.  This particular Thanksgiving made me quite aware of just how thankful I am for my family and friends.  I could only pray that where ever they are, they are enjoying a warm home and full hearts and stomachs.  We have this holiday to thank God.  The meal, the turkey, the Lions game, the beer, wine and bourbon are only there to help us realize, when we are full and sleepy at the end of the night, how much we truly have in addition to being full.  For we do have a great deal, not only a country founded on free principles but the ability to provide for our families, to live and love, to live our Faith and love God, to eat each other's cooking and say it was good.

Cheers.