NOVEMBER 2009 - It’s the day after Halloween, 13 hours into November at the most, when a
Christmas commercial comes on our TV. I don’t even remember what the commercial was advertising, but that’s not really the point. I had already seen an Ihop commercial advertising some kind of Christmas special with snowflakes and snowmen a week earlier.
My daughter, who is 10, has this way of spilling out wisdom, or thoughtful observations in the most unexpected ways. There was the time when, on our way to a mountain getaway, we passed a median planted with thousands of purple poppies. We crested a hill, and we all saw the poppies at once. They were beautiful, curving gently as the road curved. “It looks like a beautiful scarf,” she said, and it did. A wonderful hand-designed silk oriental scarf. This day, we were all watching TV together–still munching on the previous night’s loot, when my girl, in her always observant way, saw the commercial and said matter-of-factly, “they skipped right over Thanksgiving and went straight to Christmas.” Now, I’m sure she had heard me say something like that before, as we walked through The Home Depot with Christmas decorations out in October, or in Walmart with Christmas trees competing with pumpkins for the attention of the shoppers. For some reason, though, this time, her words seemed so full of wisdom.
She’s right. We go straight from the candy-laden, decadent, demanding rituals of Halloween to the greedy, sugar-plum shopping frenzy of Christmas and never stop once to give thanks. That’s just wrong in so many ways. Shouldn’t we stop to give thanks for all that Halloween candy? Shouldn’t we stop and give thanks for all the wonderful gifts we received the previous year before we start making an exhaustive wish list for this year. I think so, and my family is going to do just that.
So, here it is: my 2009 list of things for which I am thankful:
guitar lessons
Over the past year my 13-year-old has blossomed, and a lot of it is directly related to his success on the guitar. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the first time I watched him pick up the old Yamaha that had belonged to my dad and heard him began to pick “Dust In the Wind.” It was a mixture of pride, memories, and, truthfully, maybe even envy. I always thought I might take up the guitar. Now, my son is doing it. And, he’s good at it!
three words
Riding home with my 13-year-old the other night, I had tried to engage him in conversation about girls, school and growing up. We talk quite a bit, but there’s still a hesitancy to tell dad everything. So, when he wouldn’t share any juicy news, I told him, “That’s OK, I love you anyway.” The boy turned and looked at me and said, “Oh, I know you love me. I’m sure about that.” It wasn’t spoken with sarcasm, silliness or anything negative. There might have been a hint of comedy, but mostly, he meant it. My boy knows I love him. I love that. Now, admittedly, he’s full of confidence, so why wouldn’t he think I loved him? I mean, everybody loves him, right? But there was a glimmer in that moment that he really does get me and he knows I at least try to get him. That was cool. Just as cool is the fact that my daughter is liberal with her “I love yous.” She doesn’t take it lightly, she is just really comfortable with telling the people she loves how she feels about them, when she gets out of the car at school, before she hangs up the phone, walking down the road. I love her and I love that trait in her.
clay figures
2009 will go down in history at our house as the year my 10-year-old unveiled her amazing talent at making clay figures. These are tiny, miniature, minute sculptures filled with detail. Two years ago, my girl first revealed her talent with clay when she made a beaver family with ginormous buck teeth and big flat tails. This year, though, she’s shrunk her art and kept the detail. Most recently, she made a Thanksgiving turkey. He’s less than an inch tall. In his wings, he’s holding a cornucopia–a coiled cornucopia. And, inside the cornucopia is tiny fruit and veggies. Are you getting this? If the turkey is less than an inch tall, the cornucopia can’t be much more than a quarter of an inch high and within that tiny space is her harvest, oranges and apples no larger than the head of a pin. Her clay art is truly amazing.
faithful friends
I’ve got some buddies who would do just about anything for me, but in 2009, my family lost our most faithful friend–our chocolate Labrador retriever. Old Chip lived to be 15 in human years, and he was loving, friendly and protective of his family until the bitter end. I won’t ever forget digging his grave in our back yard. I bit my lower lip to hold back the emotion, but it didn’t work. I was engulfed with sadness and thankfulness and memories. I stood their with the shovel at the edge of Chip’s final resting place and sobbed out loud. My children saw me crying and ran inside, uncomfortable with their dad’s emotion and not knowing what to say. That was OK with me. I needed to say goodbye to my old friend. Chip’s memory is still warm this Thanksgiving. He took good care of us, and I’m thankful for that.
the bible
I made a commitment this year to read through the Bible, chronologically, in 2009. I had never attempted such a feat before, but I am so glad I did. With just a few weeks left, I’m very close to finished. The truths in the Bible are the basis for everything I believe. I wish I could say they are the basis for everything I do, but that’s just not true. I know God’s word has influenced me. Hopefully, after this year, I will have gained at least an ounce of maturity that will help me reflect Biblical principles a little better in my life. Regardless, I know I have a new appreciation for all those stories my Sunday School teachers used to tell me. I highly recommend it. Oh, there’s a lot more I’m thankful for, and I’m hesitant to make a list because I know I’ll leave out something. Still, I’ll try. In addition to all the other things I’ve mentioned this year and in years past, I’m thankful for:
the rest
The new roof on our house and the new paint inside (and, therefore, homeowner's insurance and hail storms)
The 11 guys in my Men’s group at church who pray for me, encourage me and challenge me
My wife and kids
My job
Curbside recycling
Gas log fireplaces
Propane grills
Gingko trees
Power tools
Nintendo
Good friends
Good co-workers
A loving church and Sunday School class
Dancing with my daughter
Breakfast with my son
Cheesecake
A warm bed and soft pillows
Great music
Computers
Cell phones
Good auto mechanics
Schroeder’s New Deli
Dave Ramsey
And, finally,
Bob and Hilda Griffin, who, in 2009, provided wisdom and perspective in a life-changing way for my family.
Happy Thanksgiving, y’all.
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