Giving Thanks

     Every time I walk up to the front porch of my home, I give pause before entering, and especially so at Thanksgiving. Yes, it's a day for heavenly aromas from the kitchen, and for spending time with family, and even for football, but on this Thanksgiving morning I am alone and the house is quiet; a misty rain is falling outside and there is no bustle in the kitchen. There will be no children or grandchildren or siblings visiting today as everyone has other family obligations. Am I sad? Yes, I shed a few tears this morning but when I went outside to get the newspaper, the wreath that hangs by the front door chided, "Give Thanks", and I began to feel much better. That familiar pause was a little more poignant today - those two little words turned my day around. I can give thanks for so much that I have now but at times in my life were disparate: a lovely home, a good job, health and a family that I love dearly. So later, when Pop gets home from work and we sit down to eat our small turkey (with big helpings of stuffing), I'll get tears in my eyes again, but they'll be tears of happiness.