Thanksgiving.  What a wonderful holiday.  But it’s been kind of lost in the shuffle.  It’s not a commercial holiday.  No gifts to buy, no wrapping paper, no trees or ornaments.

So the stores are already decorated for Christmas.  And this lovely holiday, the “kick-off” of the holiday season, the day before “Black Friday” (the busiest shopping day of the year, the year retailers supposedly offer the best “deals” of the year) is just a day off from work for some. 

It was such a big deal when I was growing up.  That little story-and-a-half house on Quincy Street would be splitting at the seams with people.  How my mother managed to feed our huge extended family in that little house is nothing short of a miracle.  And the door was always open.  Anyone and everyone was welcome.  The more the merrier.  And the food!  No one makes gravy or dressing like my mother.  I am thankful that our family carries on that tradition. 

We seven siblings all have families of our own and are scattered across the country.  But we always call each other on Thanksgiving Day.  We gather our families and friends together just as our mother did in that little house so many years ago.  And, no matter how turbulent the past year has been, we always have so much for which to be thankful.  And we have this special day that reminds us of our blessings.