by Lou Ann Thomas
Thanksgiving is the best holiday of the year. For one thing, there isn't the obligatory gift giving of Christmas, birthdays and anniversaries. There also aren't many expectations around Thanksgiving. About the only thing others expect of us on this day is to eat lots of turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie. And if youıre in my family you are also expected to watch lots of football, or, if you choose not to watch football, then you are expected to remain very quiet so as not to disturb those who do.
For me, Thanksgiving has always been a time for an extended family gathering with cousins, aunts and uncles. When I was young we would all meet at my grandmother's house for a big turkey feast. There was lots of laughter and chatter, and the warm, secure feeling you get when youıre surrounded by people who have known and loved you from your first breath.
The adults all sat together in the dining room at a long table set with Grandma's good china. My cousins and I either sat in the kitchen or at a card table set with sturdier, less valuable tableware. Of course, an adult always sat with us to try to control the giggling and to make sure the turkey and its accessories didn't become objects of warfare. Weıd always request Great Aunt Marguerite or my Aunt Lou to sit with us because they would join in our excited giggles and familiar banter. Even though they were adults we thought they were just as much fun as we were.
I never minded sitting at the kidsı table. I knew we were having more fun than the adults were and I think Marguerite and Lou felt the same way. It was at this simple table that some of my familyıs best stories first happened and were shared. It was here that I once laughed so hard milk came out my nose, at which point my cousin Paula started laughing so hard she wet her pants, which we both thought was hysterical and commenced to laugh even harder -- so hard we nearly made ourselves sick, all to the escalating voices from our respective parents inquiring, "Whatıs going on in there? What are you two doing? What in the world is SO FUNNY?" And at that, with our faces flushed from laughing and hyperventilating, we burst into even more uncontrollable giggles.
Laughter like that almost never happened at the adult table.
After dinner we couldn't wait to get the okay from our parents to put on the old clothes we always brought along in brown paper grocery bags so we could go outside and play. Those sacks filled with blue jeans, t-shirts and sneakers were symbols of our freedom. Even today the words "old clothes" bring back memories of fun and laughter, of playing ball, hide 'n' seek, and climbing trees with my cousins. As soon as the last bite of pie was swallowed we began asking, begging, and eventually pleading to be allowed to shed our clean, starched and pressed dresses and suits. When one of our parents finally relented with permission the house filled with excited squeals of delight. I imagine some of the squeals came from the adults who were just as thrilled as we were to have us outside. They were then free to play cards, visit, watch football and browse through Christmas catalogs in relative peace.
Since, in addition to turkey, football and old clothes Thanksgiving is also a time to reflect upon those things for which we are thankful, I offer a partial list of some of the things for which I am most grateful.
I am thankful for my friends. The old ones who have stood by me through the years and through the changes, and the new ones who are willing to take a chance. They all help make the journey feel a little safer and a lot less lonely.
Iım grateful for my animals. They love and accept me without conditions or expectations. I am also thankful I don't have to clothe or send them to college. The shoes alone would cost a fortune.
I am thankful for meaningful work that allows me to do what I have always loved -- to write. And thanks to everyone who so willingly talks to me and welcomes me into his or her life for a few minutes at a time so I have something to write about.
I am thankful for a warm, comfortable house, a view of this good earth out my window that I never tire of and a vacuum cleaner that works.
And I am particularly thankful for my family. They have patiently supported and nurtured me throughout my life and never mention that instead of bringing my old clothes to Thanksgiving dinner in a grocery sack I now simply wear them.
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