By Staff
Front porches are great places for repeating stories. And I'm sure that I've told this one before, but here it is again (just in case you missed it the first time around). This is my all-time favorite Eleanor Roosevelt story:
It was Thanksgiving at the White House. Family and probably well-selected guests were seated at the large table when James (I have no idea if that was his name) the butler presented the festive turkey.
As he attempted to place the platter in front of the president for carving, the bird slid from the platter to the floor.
While guests stared in shocked surprise with open mouths, Mrs. Roosevelt calmly said, "James, please bring in the other turkey." Of course, there was no "other turkey."
James made a poised exit and returned with the turkey.
Thanksgiving dinner progressed. All were happy.
I really enjoy that story. I tell it and retell it. What a way to recover from a fumble!
Thanksgiving is a time to pause and reflect on the many things for which we are thankful.
That list always includes our country, freedom, good health, family and friends, varying degrees of wealth and, most of all, an abundant feast.
At the risk of being irreverent, I want to share some things for which I'm thankful that don't qualify for that list and are often over looked.
I'm thankful for being able to walk up and down stairs, for being able to tie my own shoes, for taking a shower without falling in the bathtub.
I'm thankful that the hole in my hair hasn't grown very much over the past month.
I'm thankful that my dog is (most of the time) housebroken and that my cats use the litter box. I'm thankful that I can take a nap at noon. I'm thankful that I've never had a cavity (in my teeth), that I can find my glasses every morning and that I (usually) remember to take my medications. I'm still continent. My memory is excellent. I still know how to work the TV, VCR and DVD player.
I usually know where my cell phone is and I can always boot up my computer.
I'm thankful that I remember passwords and PIN numbers.
I seldom get lost between home and office and office and home.
If I can't remember names, I almost always remember faces.
I never call my wife Blanch and I remember most of the TV shows from my childhood and youth. I remember to close the fridge doors and turn off stove burners.
As "they" say, thank God for small favors! So, while some may wax eloquently with grandiose thankfulness, I am content to reflect on the less thought-of things.
By the way, my front porch is neatly tucked away for the winter.
But the spirit of the front porch lives on every day.
If I can't literally sit there, I can sit there in my heart.
I'm thankful for that.