The Ghosts of Thanksgiving

Things have change slightly over the past 30 years. I’d be a bit worried if they didn’t. Today is one of those days that makes me ponder what was, was is and what will be. Sort of like Scrooge’s Christmas ghosts, but on Thanksgiving and not so gloomy and melancholy.

The Past

The Thanksgivings I can remember all take place on “The Farm”. I just learned my great grandparents moved to the farm in 1917 and it’s on that farm that my grandfather was born and where he died. Anyway, our Thanksgivings were spent there. My dad is the second oldest of seven kids so there were plenty of aunts and uncles and cousins to join us. So much so that we needed two tables. On TV was either the Macy’s Day Parade or a football game. The sound of forks and knives cleaning plates drowned out the sound the TV. Laughter echoing over all of it. Afterward, there would be a family football game in the front yard. Tackle if it was just us boys. Two hand touch if the girls joined in.

But we all grew up, or at least grew older.

The Present

Today my brother, along with his wife and two kids are in South Korea. I am here in Nova Scotia, Canada with my wife and two kids. My parents are still in Maryland. A couple cousins have moved to Florida. The pecan (pronounced “peekin” if you’re my dad) tree on the football yard has been felled (a few pens were made from it). But that doesn’t stop the few who are left to celebrate this day of giving thanks from getting together at The Farm and sharing a meal and few laughs. Here in Nova Scotia, this transplanted American will be celebrating too, albeit tomorrow instead. We had our Canadian Turkey Day back on America’s Columbus Day – the second Monday in October. There was lots of food, lots family, lots of laughs. Tomorrow we’ll do again. Because, I’m American. Because the boys are each half American so between the two of them there is a whole American. Even though we’re 1,100 miles away from our American friends and family, we’ll celebrate with them nonetheless.

I’m cooking the turkey. DW is nervous.

The Future

No one knows what the future holds. Perhaps one day we’ll be in the States to celebrate with them. Perhaps one day there will be football in the yard again. Perhaps one day all the cousins, all the second cousins, all the aunts, all the uncles can sit around the same table. It would a table the size of a farm. There will be enough food to feed a third world nation six times over. There will be enough thanks, enough gratitude, enough love to fill the world infinitely. Wherever the future takes us, whatever adventures await, we’ll be thankful it is with friends and family.

Happy Thanksgiving from Canada!

 

Photo from The Newly Wed Chefs who got it from Bright Ideas

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