The wood burning stove was so hot it seemed to glow with pride as my grandmother fed it more wood logs. Eighty-four years old and agile, “granny” seemed to glide around the kitchen like a ghost. It was our ritual - she cooked and I talked - after we had our coffee of course. I reveled in my five-year-old heart how granny allowed me such great-grandson liberties as drinking coffee and grown-up conversation. No one in the family, including my mother, could overrule granny’s practices.
That deep level of love produced in me the desire to one day be a rich man so that I could take care of my granny forever. It would mean a new house for her that was not drafty and floors without holes in them. There would be no more washing clothes on a rusty scrub board, and a maid to do all the cooking and cleaning. In an effort to conceal the full revelation of my plans until I was able to deliver on them, I made reference to my wonderful plans for her most improved future. I was surprised by her response.
“Child, God has blessed me so much. I’m already powerfully thankful. I wouldn’t trade anything for my journey."
What?! I did not share in her thankfulness. The answer puzzled me for years, and eventually left my memory. Not long ago I was standing in my kitchen when tears rose in my eyes. I was gliding around the kitchen preparing my family a dinner, drinking a hot cup of coffee and having a conversation with my wife. My granny crossed over into heaven almost 25 years ago, and I finally found the answer.
Thanksgiving is a state of being... not an event. Let us as a nation remember how blessed we are daily. I never received the chance to deliver on my dreams for my granny. What I realize now is that she gave me the gift of thanksgiving. Our nation, much like our lives, experiences turbulence and upheaval. Elections will come and go. And every house, including the White House, will one day fade away. So let us be thankful for our journey and God’s blessings because one day in His favor is better than a thousand elsewhere.
