Cousins
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love getting together with family. I love the food, the fun, and the joy. After dinner we clear the table and get out our penny jars to play poker. We’ll have just one more small piece of pie, which we repeat several times during our poker game. Our games are limited to penny antes and small change only.
When my sister, Gail and I were young we could hardly wait for our grandparent’s, aunts and uncles to come over. Most of all we were thrilled to spend the day with our cousins. The basement floor was scrubbed and slick for roller skating and dancing. We'd set up our own area with snacks, and pop music. We'd keep completely separate from the adults upstairs.
When our guests arrived we’d hug and greet each one. I can still smell my grandmother’s wonderful perfume. She'd wrap us tightly into her arms and tell us how much she loved us. Her lipstick always left a mark that we'd rub off. I miss her, she was beautiful.
When my two oldest cousins became teenagers they'd show us the latest dance moves they’d learned at junior high dances. We'd skate, sing, and dance to the latest pop bands. My sister and cousin, Laura would argue about which of them would marry Bobby Sherman and which would end up marrying David Cassidy.
Cousin's Dan and Steve were up-graded to the adult table once they reached thirteen. We looked enviously up at them from our corner where we sat at a card table with folding chairs. Our seats were significantly shorter that theirs. The adult table was an anomaly; Gail, Laura and I pretended not to care that the boy’s were drinking from “real” wine glasses. Dan and Steve kept turning in their chairs and raising their glasses towards us, we feigned disinterest.
Advancing to the adult table was inevitable for each of us. We seldom get together now. Our cousins’ live in different states. Each of us has our own family now with the commitments that accompany those relationships, but we share a wonderful past. These memories are ours forever. Anchored into our lives are the greatest embodiments of God’s wonderful blessing to us all… Love! This Thanksgiving we'll be greeting new friends and family and mourning the loss of others we've loved. We'll celebrate the joy of past gatherings and the hope for future reunions. This Thanksgiving join your hearts and your hands with those you love and Have a Wonderful Holiday!
Welcome a stranger,
Seek out a forgotten friend
Keep a promise
Laugh
Listen
Brighten the heart of a child
Encourage the young
Express your gratitude
Be gentle
Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth
Speak your love
Speak it once again…
And
Let your heart be filled with
THANKSGIVING
