Thanksgiving 2021

On this Thanksgiving Day, I started by texting everyone I could to tell them how much I am thankful for them being in my life, especially my wife and sons. My daughter is not speaking to me, so I’ll just that percolate, and soon all will become new, but like that good Turkey, it needs time to cook.

I went fishing in my favorite spot in my front yard. You see, it is not the best spot in our pond to fish, but the view is best and less interruption from a pesky biting fish to distract my deep thoughts, LOL.  I’m a lazy fisherman. I put on a worm and a bobber, throw it out there and wait for it to go under (not too interested in working too hard at this).

Ladies, this is essentially a man’s thing; after all, even Jesus went to fisherMEN to be fishers of men. I know this is a metaphor for mankind, so as I feel the rush of ladies to slap me with sounds of sexist pig, other ladies just blow it off as an ignorant man’s rambling, not knowing who is the truly superior gender. I’m playing it safe here because my editor is my wife, and she controls my medications. Without them, I’d surely die.

Anyway, here are my thoughts on Thanksgiving, a product of my fishing solitude and only one fish to interrupt it, measuring a colossal 4 inches long.

Tradition says that the first Thanksgiving occurred on November 1621 between the friendship of the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag to give thanks to each other and God to give them provision for the winter. (this was after the voyage of the Mayflower who left Plymouth, England, in September 1620). Anyhow, I find it interesting to know that man came together just to be thankful for the provision and each other before man destroyed it, and then the here and now generation wants to blame each other for each other.

Thanksgiving is in addition to a time of family and good food to share and just be together, with maybe a little prayer thrown in to be thankful for our bounty and each other. But I also thought about another bit of a play on words. Forgiving goes quite well with Thanksgiving. Giving forgiveness to those have who hurt us and accepting and giving of that forgiveness feast over the weight of guilt and hurt replaced by reconciliation and a boatload OF TURKEY AND STUFFING AND EXPLOSIVE BAKED BEANS prepared by selfless hands.

Thank you, crafty fish, for eluding my catch for occasionally trusting me to reel you in and hold you just long enough to behold your magnificent God-made creation just long enough to flop around a few times on the grass and be thrown back to swim freely. And besides, you’re too small to eat, I’m too lazy to clean fish, and I don’t want you to feed my family today.  

I Give thanks for a can of worms, fishing rod, a chair, and patient fish the simple things of life. I’m content today.