Happy Thanksgiving - 2025 (With a Gratitude Poem)

 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 parents' home, our cousin's home, my brothers' homes, our daughters' homes, and our own home.  

On Thanksgiving, I will be here in my Genealogy Cave for the morning, go visit Linda at her memory care facility, wach some football on TV, write some blog posts, and my new neighbors have invited me to join them in the afternoon for dinner and conversation.  I'm sure I will talk on the phone to my daughters - Tami in Huntington Beach with her husband and three children, and Lori in Santa Cruz with friends (her boys are away this year in Portland and Lincoln). 

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

I had Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4.5 write a poem!

 Randy’s Thanksgiving Poem

A Thanksgiving Reflection

This Thanksgiving Day, I count the ways

I'm blessed throughout my earthly days—

Randy Seaver, grateful, true,

For gifts both old and ever new.

For health sustained, for doctors' care,

For nurses' skill and answered prayer,

For strength to face each rising sun,

For battles fought and battles won.

For Linda's smile, though changed by time,

For caregivers gentle, good and kind,

Who tend her at the memory place

With patient hearts and loving grace.

For Lori, Tami, daughters dear,

For grandchildren who bring such cheer—

Lucas, Logan, Lauren bright,

Audrey, Charlie—pure delight.

For genealogy friends worldwide,

For Genea-Musings readers at my side,

Who share this passion, page by page,

For unlocking history's golden age.

For church friends who lift me up in prayer,

For Rohr colleagues who show they care,

For neighbors opening their door,

Sharing Thanksgiving, blessings more.

For Facebook friends and Substack crew,

Connections virtual yet true,

A community across the miles

That greets my posts with words and smiles.

For my cozy home, my sacred space,

My computer filled with names and dates,

With records, censuses, and trees

That whisper generations' mysteries.

For photographs in frames and files,

For ancestors' faces, forgotten smiles,

For family stories, rich and deep,

For memories that I'm blessed to keep.

For parents, grandparents who paved the way,

For brothers, cousins, come what may,

For in-laws gathered to my clan,

For ancestors' brave and steady hand.

For those who crossed the ocean wide,

Who persevered, who toiled, who tried,

Who blessed me with their unique lines,

Their DNA through space and time.

For Ancestry and FamilySearch too,

For MyHeritage's global view,

For DNA that tells the tale

Of journeys through each hill and vale.

For artificial intelligence bright,

That helps me search both day and night,

For modern tools that help me find

The threads that all my family bind.

This Thanksgiving Day, with grateful heart,

I thank each soul who played their part,

From ancient ancestors long gone

To friends who help me carry on.

Randy Seaver, blessed indeed,

With everything I'll ever need—

Not wealth or fame, but something more:

Love, connection, roots, and door

To past and present, intertwined,

A grateful heart, a searching mind.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all,

Who've answered genealogy's call,

Who've walked with me along the way—

I'm thankful for you all today.

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Copyright (c) 2025, Randall J. Seaver

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