Happy Thanksgiven Poem by Jim Yerman

I had a friend many years ago who always said Happy Thanksgiven.
We all smiled at her malapropism…and she was immediately forgiven.

Many years have passed and this friend has long since left my sight
but when I consider what today means…I now think…
she was right.

Every other holiday we celebrate…though they certainly uplift
has become less about the meaning of that day…
and more about the gifts.

That's what makes Thanksgiving special…more familial…less stressed.
That's what makes Thanksgiving…different from the rest.

In a society that can be harried, fast paced
and often excess driven
today is a great day to contemplate and be thankful
for all the gifts we have been given.

Not the gifts that we unwrap…from boxes we throw away
but the gifts that we've been given
that are with us every day.

Gifts that make life special…gifts that never end
like sitting around a table with family and friends.

Coming together as a family at least one time every year
where we eat, we laugh…tell stories…
and remember those no longer here.

Gifts planted throughout our lives that continuously bloom…
Gifts we see on the faces of everybody in the room.

As we watch our children…now grown up…
we laugh and smile with ease
remembering how it used to feel
when they sat upon our knees.

Thanksgiving reminds us to cherish these moments
knowing they will not last long
a reminder of what holds a family together…
of what what makes a family strong.

That's what makes Thanksgiving special…
that's why families amass
because we know the best path into the future…
is by linking to our past.

Seems my old friend was right all along…
she need not ever be forgiven
Today's a day to say thanks….
for all the gifts we have been given.