The Goose is Getting Fat!

"Thanksgiving is coming, the goose is getting fat.  Please sir, put some money in the old man's hat.  If you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do.  If you haven't got a ha'penny, then God bless you..."

Now don't laugh, my friends.  I know this is a Muppet Christmas song.  But it just appealed to me as I wrote this blog post.  Because when you think about it, it fits.  You've got the goose getting fat, a man putting out his hat and giving.  Why not flip this to Thanksgiving?  ;)

There are a lot of people in need.  Right now a local radio DJ, a fixture in our town, is sitting up on a cherry picker, enduring 48 hours of cold and the elements to help raise money or bikes for Toys for Tots, sponsored by the Marines.  These bikes will be given to needy children who live in our area this Christmas.  What a fabulous annual witness to our town!  I'm amazed every time I drive by this awesome spectacle on my way to work.  It truly is phenomenal.

So what is the greatest gift of Thanksgiving?  It's a celebration of survival.  A joyous feast of the harvest signaling we'll be well fed, spiritually and physically.  It's also a time to share that bounty with others less fortunate.

What are you thankful for?  I'm thankful for my family and friends.  For God's grace and the freedoms I enjoy.  For my debut book, and Jean and Stephanie's good fortune too!  Their Crimson Romance debut releases in 7 days!

So I leave you today with some quotes I found interesting:

"Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare.  They are consumed in twelves minutes.  Half-times take twelve minutes.  This is not coincidence."  Erma Bombeck

"The truth is the Super Bowl long ago became more than just a football game.  It's part of our culture like turkey at Thanksgiving and lights at Christmas, and like those holidays beyond their meaning, a factor in our economy."  Bob Schieffer

"There is one day that is ours.  Thanksgiving Day is the one day that is purely American."  O. Henry

Blessings for a peaceful day of preparation and celebration!

What are your plans for Thanksgiving?  Are you cooking?  Watching football? 

Katherine

Reinvent Yourself & Give Thanks

There's a lot of confusion in the world today. If you haven't heard, all you have to do is turn on the news. Politics, the economy, the lost art of patience, dwindling morality and thinly veiled dignity, all play a definitive part in keeping the most humane experiences from reaching the mortal soul. Add the holiday season and a person could become completely undone.

Take the fact that towns across the US have put up holiday decorations way before their time. Holiday music is already playing in stores across the nation as preparations for Black Friday commence. (Shiver me timbers!) Though I work for a retailer, and I know the importance of THE DAY OF DAYS, the crowds, harried customers, and the push by companies for consumers to spend, spend, spend, squeal loudly like a pig trying to maintain its balance on a spinning puzzle piece.

When is enough, enough? Commercials spin the idea that no one will be satisfied unless they receive a car for Christmas. A car? Seriously? In this economy? Have CEOs everywhere lost their minds? If you don't believe me, check out reruns of the American Music Awards and watch JLo's performance. Yes indeedie, the car from her commercials was sharing center stage with her. Was I the only one who thought that was strange?

Does the picture of students getting sprayed with pepper spray just for 'sitting' in protest of increased college tuition ring any bells?

Where does the mania end?

This is nothing new. Long ago, Pilgrims survived a perilous journey across the sea only to be forced into the wilds of a new land with little to sustain them. That they made it through winter came via change, enlisting the aide of a new people, learning better ways to live, and putting those skills into action.

After spending the past two years in pain and the past three months recovering from a surgery that took that pain away, I'm living in a new world, mateys. A clearer world where simple things have become favorite things.

It's amazing how much we take for granted on any given day.

As Thanksgiving approaches, give thanks for what you have because I guarantee you have more than you can possibly imagine if you have good health, people who love you, a roof over your head, food to fill your belly, a machine to get you to and from work, and last but definitely not least, friends to help make each day better than the last.

Change is good. Pilgrims initiated a change that brought this country to life. Are you afraid of change? How can you reinvent yourself?

Live. Laugh. Love.