I learned a lot about Thanksgiving growing up in a large family.
Mom & Dad taught me and my siblings to recognize our blessings and to be thankful for what we had.
I remember conversations over the years as we grew up where I, or one of my younger siblings, would ask mom or dad, "Are we rich?"
Without hesitation the response was always, "yes!"
Who ever posed the initial question would then follow up with naming the possession we didn't have,
the toy so and so down the street had,
how big their friend's house was,
or how many televisions the neighbors had.
Mom & Dad would explain that those are just things, just possessions.
What makes a person rich is love and our family has a lot of love.
They would go on to say what makes a person rich is how much they are willing to give,
not always thinking about what they can get.
As young kids we didn't always like this answer.
I am sure somewhere in the back of our minds we were wondering how love would be able to get us that coveted toy under the Christmas tree.
But as we grew older, we learned it isn't about ThanksPossessions,
and its not ThanksTaking.
No one ever called it
ThanksHealthy,
ThanksFriendship,
or ThanksFamily
yet all those things are blessings I am very thankful for.
I also have never heard anyone call it
ThanksTurkey
even though I am extra thankful my turkey turned out fabulous!
Its always been ThanksGiving!
I had a wonderful ThanksGiving in spite of it being rather small in comparison to our ThanksGivings of old.
We numbered 7 around the table and had enough food for twice that many.
I was a bit sad about that.
Not sad about having leftovers, but sad about missing the family that couldn't be with us.
I remembered years past when the house was brimming with family & friends.
Mom & dad would invite others to join us who had no family to celebrate with.
I thought about doing this, but I don't know anyone here in Salem to invite to join us.
That made me kind of sad too.
But what lifts me up is having fun with those that are here.
Listening to the kids laugh, tease, and play together is a lot to be thankful for.
We had a couple of Trail Blazer tickets for last nights game, but the kids all voted to stay home and just hang out together.
I like knowing that they, too, are thankful for the time they have together.
So yesterday I set out to find a way to "Be ThanksGiving".
I wanted to find someone to give the Trail Blazer tickets to.
In the past I have found city workers, or construction people to give the tickets to and I have enjoyed the excitement on their face as they think about going to their first NBA game.
Evidently the city employees had the day off because there were no work crews to be found.
I headed to a small sports bar thinking surely I could find someone there who would appreciate upper deck cheap seats for a Trail Blazer game.
As I sat at the bar enjoying a beer, I took in the small crowd of regulars.
I noticed a group of 3 young couples, but that didn't seem likely as I only had 2 tickets,
A husband and wife were there (the wife was in a wheelchair), but it didn't seem likely they would venture that far from home late at night.
There was an older gentleman who lost his wife about a month ago,
and a bar acquaintance of his who had just returned from Nebraska and Kansas.
I like the 'coincidence' of this.
I, too, had just returned from Nebraska and Kansas.
So I offered the tickets to him.
While his face lit up and the idea was enticing, he said,
"I better not. My wife would kill me. I have too much family at my house and I was lucky to get away for a beer."
Then he glanced around the room and said, "but I think I know someone who would love these".
He headed past me and walked up to a young man who had just sat down at the bar and ordered a beer.
The older gentleman said to the younger one,
"Hey, I'm not asking for a date or anything, but do you have plans for tonight?" and then he handed him the tickets.
I love watching the look on a persons face as it goes from confusion, to understanding, to uncertainty, and then to joy!
Yes!
I think I found a home for tickets!
As it turns out they young man recently sold a car to a Trail Blazer player, he has been doing some promotional work for the team, and his employer is a sponsor of the Trail Blazers,
yet he has never gone to a game.
He hesitantly asked me, "how much do you want for the tickets?"
"Nothing", I said.
"Can I at least buy your drink?" he asked.
"Already paid for." I replied.
I said, "It's ThanksGiving!"
I tipped my glass to him and thought of my mom & dad.
