11/25/10 - THANKSGIVING DAY

tIts turkey day! Another silly holiday where families get together because they feel they have to, they eat WAY too much food, maybe even fight, and then pass out on the couch or watch football games or something like that.  Seems to me to be the epitome of American sloth and gluttony! Never been something very special to me, although since the year we arrived here, knowing that many people think of it as a holiday that is seeped in tradition, and honored by families, we offered up our home to students, friends or others that were orphaned for the day.  Those that had no family near by or that didn't necessarily want to be around them.

Here in our house, we set up the table all fancy with my finest china (not really - its a set of dishes from Kmart i got years ago) that i only bring out on Thanksgiving day; my mothers old chest of fancy silverware, and the goblets reserved for this day too. They all have a home located up in the top of the cabinet in the kitchen. They sit there for 364 days a year, wasting space and getting dusty.

Then we prepare a meal fit for a thousand, share in a toast of good cheer, and be grateful for having such wonderful friends and companions.  Each year, in leu of grace, we go around the table and say at least one thing that we are grateful for. One year, Madison said, "Clean underwear."  Honestly, that is something one should really be grateful for on a daily basis.

This year, we had a small gathering, just me, Bob, Madison and our friend Justin.  We made a smaller version of a turkey, and all the fixin's.  Then we watched the Jody Foster directed movie, Home for the Holidays starring Holly Hunter and Morton Downey Jr. I forgot how funny that movie really is!

Sam and her boyfriend, Mike, came by later after her two visits to her boyfriend's family's houses and had pie with us.

It was a beautiful day and perfectly small.  No gluttony or sloth.