It is Memorial Day, 2022. Today, I think back to a post I wrote in 2010. It was a post about my wife’s grandfather who served in World War II. He had passed away long before I met my wife. I wondered what stories he would have had to tell.
This day is about honoring those who paid the ultimate sacrifice with their lives. I know I enjoy many freedoms today because of the men and women who made the choice to defend my country.
Are you ready for Thanksgiving 2021? No? Me neither! A few years ago, I did a post on how to have a happy Thanksgiving. I had a cartoon that wasn’t based on real experience.
I am thankful I never had to go out and shoot our Thanksgiving turkey. Though if you haven’t already thawed the bird, you’re much more likely to have turkey tomorrow if you go hunting.
For 2021, an old-fashioned, traditional Thanksgiving is what most of us yearn for. We had an interesting, if not desirable one last year. Most of us didn’t get together at all or did so through Zoom. I hear the travel for this year is back to pre-pandemic levels.
Yet, I also know some friends who are still dealing with COVID in their families. And there are some of us who will be missing loved ones at the dinner table. In my family, I can think of a couple we will be mourning over this year.
Through it all, my prayer for you is that no matter the situation, you will remember something to be thankful for. It’s okay to mourn the losses. But also remember the blessings. They are out there. Have a happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving is coming in the United States. So there is nothing better for me than to dole out another Thanksgiving cartoon! It’s like an extra helping of oyster dressing and cranberry salad.
The church I grew up in felt obligated to sing We Gather Together each Thanksgiving season. The challenge was that the worship leader would sing it the Sunday before the holiday. To a child, that seemed an eternity away. We might as well sing a Christmas Carol while we were at it! Of course, that came the next Sunday. My poor immature mind couldn’t take this hymnal time warp every season.
The hymn wasn’t exactly kid-friendly either. The first verse was a lot to take in. There isn’t even a chorus! It didn’t exactly roll off the tongue for me.
“We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing;
Theodore Baker 1894
He chastens and hastens His will to make known.
The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing.
Sing praises to His Name; He forgets not His own.”
So this year, I decided to modernize it a bit. Here is my version:
I realize “scones” is a little high class. But “donuts” didn’t have the same ring to it. Besides, I know a dear lady at one of our previous churches that makes the best scones. Whenever I bit into one, I felt quite grateful.
So have a happy Thanksgiving! enjoy a warm gathering and some scones. It may cause you to break out in singing.
I drew this cartoon for the November 2022 CHOGNews.
I have a strange feeling today that all the mess with the COVID-19 virus is because a child caught a leprechaun and the ornery critter found a way to prevent kids from taking any of the spring standardized tests!
It’s going to be a strange Saint Patrick’s day for 2020. All of us will be staying at home. There will be no green dye dumped into the Chicago River… or maybe it will! It sounds like some prankster made at least part of the tradition happen.
Everything seems like a strange leprechaun dream right now. But it will eventually all pass. Let’s keep doing the hard work to keep this virus from spreading faster than it should. Keep washing your hands and practice social distancing. Stay home tonight. It’s the responsible thing to do.
And if by any chance you catch a leprechaun, bypass the pot of gold and see if they can mitigate some of this COVID-19 mess!
Cartoon of a husband and a wife with a musket. The wife says, “We’re having a traditional Thanksgiving. Here’s a musket. The turkey is in the backyard.”
It’s the holiday season in the United States and all the expectations for a perfect holiday begin tomorrow when we all gather for a feast. Unfortunately, some of those hopes will be dashed before someone says, “Pass the cranberries.”
My mom was a nurse, which meant she had to work many holidays. One of the benefits of that was while we had holiday traditions, they were flexible. We didn’t have to do the same thing every year. We could move things around our calendar, or even save an event until the next year.
That came in handy for me as a became an adult. One Thanksgiving, my poor wife had the flu. We dutifully shipped our son to the grandparents while I tended to my ill spouse. It was one unconventional Thanksgiving. She didn’t want to eat anything and I searched for a restaurant that was open.
As you begin this festive time of year, I would encourage you to be flexible. Go with the flow. Kids and spouses get sick. Relatives will probably never act the way you’d expect. Travel will always have some headaches. When it’s all over, it may be the unconventional memories you will cherish anyway.