Thankful

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. Not much fuss and heavy helpings of food and football. I love it. Thanksgiving's pure and simple purpose has always been to bring us together.

Besides the usual suspects, our family has always had an open door policy for Thanksgiving. My first Thanksgiving with Mindy's family just so happened to also be the first without Rollo. Year's earlier, my mother-in-law had met Rollo at the mall the day before Thanksgiving. He was crying, broken by the recent loss of his wife. Well, this stranger became a fixture at their holiday gatherings. He cried every holiday. The entire time. On my first Thanksgiving at the in-laws, I sat in Rollo's seat... and everyone else cried.

Then there was Marty, the cantankerous widower with no children that we invited to join our family for several holidays in Columbus. Marty was easily confused and would leave profanity-laced messages on our phone for days leading up to whatever holiday it was because he'd thought we'd forgotten to pick him up. Under that gruff exterior was a grateful soul who needed someone. We learned to love him "as is."

Bobbie was a elderly African American customer where my wife works. Her family lived in Atlanta, so Bobbie had gotten used to spending some Thanksgivings on her own. Not a chance, my wife insisted. This sweet stranger delighted us with stories from her colorful past. Her grasp of the present wasn't quite as keen, though, as she repeatedly gushed, "This is the best Easter ever."

Now, it's as if these stories are some of the things our family is most thankful for. We laugh and cry, and someone will undoubtedly proclaim with gusto, "This is the best Easter ever!"

This year's guest of honor will be our 4-month old granddaughter, Jayda. How fun is that? It's also the first Thanksgiving in 24 years our oldest daughter won't make it home. I'm not going to pretend there won't be tears about that, but she's planning to tag along with a South Carolina friend. (Apparently we aren't the only family who makes room for spares.) I'm consoling myself by imagining she might be the best part of their Thanksgiving. Good food. Open hearts. Coming together.

I'm thankful... really. And you should be too. Life isn't perfect, but coming together still feels good. Just remind yourself, "This is the best Easter ever!"

Leveled

It still surprises me every time I pull into the church parking lot to see the empty lot next door. The house, which had been there longer than Parkside has existed, is gone. Leveled. The little boy in me wanted to watch the crane knock it down, but the whole place was in a pile before I even arrived at work that day. Once the grass seed sprouts, not much will remain to remind us that house even existed.

It makes me sad because I'm sure that home held many fond memories. How much care and attention was given to it over the decades? For someone, it has always been that special place we call "home." It's usefulness and value had certainly ended, but my guess is the folks living in it half a century ago would have never imagined this outcome. Leveled.

It makes me question the things I give my attention to today. Most of it seems pretty important. It always does. But am I focused on stuff that is doomed to be "leveled" in times to come? Will someone look at my passions or pursuits, wondering why any of it even mattered to me?

That's not to suggest my values & priorities need the affirmation of the crowd. I just want them to stand the test of time (& then some). Lots of things are important for a season. I'd rather build within my life lasting monuments -- a legacy of relationships, impact and purpose that won't ever be leveled. Easier said than done, but now I've got an empty lot next door as my constant reminder.

World's Worst Blogger

"Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been 154 days since my last post!"

There's no denying that I am the world's worst blogger. I want to do it, but I forget... or get busy... or... whatever. But I've got a new resolve and a better plan of attack this time. I'm not sure why anyone would want to read it, but I'm convinced I need to write it. So, I intend to be me. This will be a window to my soul. Not in a dark or dreary way, though. I want to have fun showing you how I look at life's peculiarities. Feel free to comment, disagree or shake your head. Whatever it is, I've heard worse. You may or may not like what you see when you look inside, but that's okay. The window is there to bring light inside for me.