Give thanks, and then shop (11/19/07)

It must be getting close to Thanksgiving as my Christmas cacti are starting to bloom. One is covered with white blossoms edged in red and two of the others are just beginning to show their colors. Apparently they are in cahoots with the retailers and are getting a jump-start on Christmas.

There are several crocuses and a lone hyacinth in the refrigerator. I am attempting to convince them that the fridge is really winter in disguise. They need a cold period before they will bloom and if I am successful in fooling them they will brighten up a dreary day this coming January or February.

This Thanksgiving will be a bit like the ones from my childhood, as we have no plans to do anything. In years past we have visited both sets of parents and returned home so stuffed we couldn't move. We have had Thanksgiving on both Thursday and Sunday some years. We have gone to Texas to share a feast with my daughter's in-laws and once or twice we have hosted the family get together.

This year we are doing nothing. We are going to Texas in January and it is too expensive to also go in November. One set of in-laws has passed away. Half of the other in-laws are also gone. One sister-in-law has to work and my mother doesn't want to celebrate the holiday. So we can save money on gas and stay home. I'll take my mom out shopping when she is up to it.

I suppose I could go online and get some of the Christmas purchases ordered. My daughter wants a vanilla orchid and the only place I have been able to find them is on the internet. I don't think she realizes it gets to be about 25 feet long at maturity. Oops. I just looked it up and some varieties can reach 40 feet! That ought to circle her kitchen several times around. Fortunately the ones that are offered for sale are measured in inches, not feet.

Even though we are not going to be a part of a huge holiday dinner this year, we have much to be grateful for. We have a roof over our heads and food in the cupboards. I have a job that I like (most of the time) and a little brother who makes me laugh and another one who reminds me where I came from. I have a granddaughter who screams at me on the phone and a daughter who shares laughs with me. I have a mother who thinks I am special. I have a husband who loves me even though I drive him crazy sometimes. I love all of them.

I don't remember much about Thanksgiving as a child. If we had company my grandmother would make beef and noodles and several types of pie. She preferred sugar cream pie and I liked pumpkin or custard - but only the filling, I would leave the crust behind.

If one or more of my uncles came there were cousins to play with but as the years went by the visits became fewer and fewer. I haven't seen one of my cousins for decades. He is living in Louisiana and trains police dogs. I wouldn't recognize him if I saw him and he probably wouldn't know me either. I met up with the other two cousins at the family reunion this past summer and have already lost touch with them again.

It's sad how families drift apart once the parents die. Cousins who once shared family secrets lose contact. Siblings move to distant places and their lives seldom intertwine.

My husband and his siblings all live in different states and we rarely get together anymore. If it weren't for email we would lose touch completely. The nieces all have lives of their own. One is a teacher, one an actress and one an events coordinator.

We are doing nothing for Thanksgiving this year except giving thanks for all we have been given. We give thanks that we survived the year we moved on Thanksgiving and shared bologna sandwiches as our feast. We give thanks that my husband's diabetes is under control. We give thanks for the ability to appreciate the brilliant yellow leaves of fall and the warmth of the furnace on a chilly morning.

I also give thanks for all of you who read my words. I appreciate each and every one of you.

Now let the Christmas shopping begin![[In-content Ad]]