Thursday, November 23, 2023

Happy Thanksgiving - 2023

 Happy Thanksgiving to my family, friends, readers and colleagues!

Here is my traditional Thanksgiving post and poem - with a bit more afterward:

Thanksgiving

by Edgar Albert Guest (c) 1917

Gettin' together to smile an' rejoice,
An' eatin' an' laughin' with folks of your choice;
An' kissin' the girls an' declarin' that they
Are growin' more beautiful day after day;

Chattin' an' braggin' a bit with the men,
Buildin' the old family circle again;
Livin' the wholesome an' old-fashioned cheer,
Just for awhile at the end of the year.

Greetings fly fast as we crowd through the door
And under the old roof we gather once more
Just as we did when the youngsters were small;
Mother's a little bit grayer, that's all.

Father's a little bit older, but still
Ready to romp an' to laugh with a will.
Here we are back at the table again
Tellin' our stories as women an' men.

Bowed are our heads for a moment in prayer;
Oh, but we're grateful an' glad to be there.
Home from the east land an' home from the west,
Home with the folks that are dearest an' best.

Out of the sham of the cities afar
We've come for a time to be just what we are.
Here we can talk of ourselves an' be frank,
Forgettin' position an' station an' rank.

Give me the end of the year an' its fun
When most of the plannin' an' toilin' is done;
Bring all the wanderers home to the nest,
Let me sit down with the ones I love best,

Hear the old voices still ringin' with song,
See the old faces unblemished by wrong,
See the old table with all of its chairs
An' I'll put soul in my Thanksgivin' prayers.

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Randy's Note:  The scene above is not what's happening this year in Chula Vista.  I  have many good memories of a family Thanksgiving at my grandparents home, my mother's home, our cousin's home, my brothers homes, our daughter's homes, and our home.  

On Thanksgiving morning, I will visit Linda in the skilled nursing and memory care facility, then  I will be going to my daughter Tami's home in Huntington Beach on Thanksgiving Day, and probably coming home in the evening.  

Linda and I had a Thanksgiving lunch on Tuesday courtesy of the staff at her facility, ActivCare at Rolling Hills in Chula Vista.  We had turkey, mixed vegetables, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, apple pie, and an ice cream cup.  It was very nice.

I am very thankful this year for my doctors, heart surgeons and cardiologists, for Linda's caregivers, for my daughters and grandchildren, for my genealogy friends, for my church friends, for my Rohr (employer) friends, and all of my Facebook friends.  I am also thankful for my parents, grandparents, brothers and cousins, and all of the ancestors who came before and blessed me with generations of unique ancestors.

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Copyright (c) 2023, Randall J. Seaver

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1 comment:

Marian B. Wood said...

Sending warmest wishes to you and your family. Like you, I'm grateful for the ancestors who paved the way for me to be here...and left interesting stories to tell to future generations.