The Turkey Song...

I do believe that Thanksgiving is my absolute, most favorite time of the year. Yes, I realize that was a terribly grammatically incorrect sentence, but still it stands true. And I wonder sometimes why so few people give Thanksgiving the respect that it deserves. Is it because there are no Thanksgiving songs...or should I say almost no Thanksgiving songs. I remember with great delight learning "The Turkey song" when I was in high school.

Here are the words:
" If God can love turkeys,
then God can love you.
'Cause you are a turkey,
and I am one too."

This song is just so true! Yet, Thanksgiving means so much more than simply turkey and dressing. As we all know it's also about being thankful. But, for me Thanksgiving is even about more than that. It's a celebration of family, friends and fellowship.

I honestly could not imagine Thanksgiving any other way than this...every year (with the exception of one) my family loads up on Wednesday morning before Thanksgiving and begins our pilgrimage to our roots. We travel the majority of the day, observing the sights and spending quality time together, playing the license plate game, singing songs, arguing, sleeping and just being together. After the day long pilgrimage we are all ready to fall into bed after reaching our abode for the evening. Usually this is a plush bed and breakfast, that my family has reserved the majority of the rooms in. At least that's the way it was when I was a child.

As my cousins and I have grown older the family pilgrimages have grown for many of them few and far between. Our numbers have dwindled and fewer and fewer of my family members have been willing to make this trip. In fact, we only had about twenty people present last year when I first introduced my husband (then fiance) to this tradition.

Thankfully, this year due to my Great Aunt's ingenuity we will have at least 60 present. Why the change? Simply put, because my Nanny Netta (great aunt) asked everyone to make the effort to be at Thanksgiving at her house this year.

I cannot believe how excited I am that we've all answered her plea. You know...Christmas morning itself has nothing on Thanksgiving, for me. I'd much rather spend this time with my cousins, and Aunts and Uncles and niece and nephews than open a million present.

Perhaps the real things that we should be thankful for are intangible, rather than the things that we all get bogged down in. Yet so many of us do end up being thankful that we have more than the person next door or the guy living down under the bridge. Yet, as that catchy song reminds us....if God can love turkeys....and those turkeys don't spend time comparing possessions with the Joneses (or the other turkeys)....so maybe that's why...we all need to be reminded of how blessed we are.

Have a safe and happy, Thanksgiving. And above all remember, be Thankful for all that you have especially those around you this holiday season, because I know I will be.

-Betty