Thanksgiving

I know the meaning of Easter and Christmas but the way we celebrate Thanksgiving it is my personal favorite holiday. It is simple and not a market day. A day just to say thanks to God for the blessings and opportunity of life.

I have always enjoyed the meal and as an adult I love doing my part to make the meal  a memory. I love cooking the turkey on the grill with layers of flavor from the wood, wine, and seasoning. The wine is poured into a pan and cooks with the bird in the Webber. Every hour the bird cooks I add a few coals and soaked wood chips. At the right time I check the temp of the bird and then the golden bird is taken off the grill. Rest the meat for 10 minutes or a little longer and serve a delicious meal.

I say thanks for all in my family and enjoy the conversation and experience. Personally I will take a walk in the morning and as I walk I will give my own thanks for the day and year lived. I like to say thanks for all my friends, students, people who make my life more rich to experience. Have you noticed except for the grace at the meal, thanks is a private matter. I guess that is why I like the holiday. No big show or public display, it is just a day of thanks for an old guy like me. Not bad!

Later like many I will visit family and friends and listen. Thanksgiving as I get older I drink it in and let it into my heart. This last year my brother died, I battled depression, friends have battled worse illnesses. It is easy to forget our trials and only think in terms of good things that happened, like a birth of a grandson, a finding of an old friend, reunion with friends in a shared vacation.  I am thankful that life is not just the here and now. Our somewhat fragile bodies age and have their problems and teach us "to number our days". We call on the Lord and He saves us. Life as Darby O Gill reminds us we have to take the good with the bad. I am thankful God is with me through the difficulties and the sunny day.

I have learned to enjoy the day without over stuffing myself. I eat the meal and all the fixings but I limit myself to one helping including desert. I enjoy each bite but no seconds. The walk in the morning helps. I keep my weight the same by doing this and I enjoy the meal without guilt. Moderation is my friend not denial. Walking gives me a few hundred extra calories. If I watch my self on left overs I can enjoy the holidays without the pounds. Blessing to you and keep walking.