Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is Thanksgiving Day! Here in Vermont it is sunny and cool today - 41 degrees at the moment. A lovely day. Ellen has been busy in the kitchen much of the morning, preparing dishes and pies for our meal which will be held at Katie and Savanna's house later this afternoon. Meanwhie, I have been calling family and friends, wishing them a Happy Thanksgiving: John and Cynthia, Jerry and Maggie out in Bartlett, IL; my granddaughter, Katie, in St. Louis; Phil McKean in California and Mary Andersen in Bennington. Cynthia tested positive for COVID a few days ago, so they are staying close to home. John has not tested positive as yet, and feels ok. Jerry is staying home to avoid crowds, but Maggie is going with Daniel and Becky to his niece's house where there is a large family gathering. Katie and Christian have the day off and are planning a quiet meal at home. Phil is driving to Montecito, CA to be with Tom, Marq and Jon and returned my call from beside the road. Mary is joining with friends later, and will fly to South Africa to be with Erica's family on Dec. 19th. I am grateful today for Ellen, for my family and friends, my church family, especially the recent experience of leading Bible Study, and for Shirley. I have often read this prayer by Shirley at past Thanksgiving Day meals. I share it here: Shirley's Thanksgiving Prayer O God, I sometimes think I don't know what to thank you for. Sometimes I don't even think I have anything to thank you for. Should I thank you that I am overfed while others starve? Or I am safe while others are in trouble? Should I thank you because I have enough money to spend and others have so little? God, sometimes I'm embarrassed when I thank you. And what shall I ask you for? Yes, I can ask you for some things: peace on earth; the end to ignorance, poverty, hunger and disease; but it's hard to know sometimes what to ask you for that isn't an empty platitude, a mere set of words. And I ask you God: can I ask you for anything? God, help me to pray! Help me to ask for the capacity to be silent, so I can hear and see others; the capacity to empathize with the suffering of others, not to become dull to the feelings of others; help me to give thanks for the gift of saying, "we," for having friends and having family and people who care; help me to give thanks for the courage of people who sustain life in places and times that take our breath away; help us to give thanks for poetry, and beauty which make life more incredible than any definition we have of it. Help us to give thanks for the sense of wonder and infinite caring and love without which we would all die...God, help us to give thanks for the gift of being able to give thanks. Amen Shirley offered this prayer at the Guilford Community Church, U.C.C., on November 23, 1980

Shirley Harris Crockett (1932-1998) ***********
LATER: We had a feast, but not before dropping off eight pies at the homeless shelters in Brattleboro. We had turkey, four kinds of stuffing, squash, sweet potato, mashed potato, gravy, two kinds of cranberry relish, crudites, and four kinds of pie: apple, pumpkin, strawberry rhubarb and mince. I'm sure I'm leaving something out. Four households contributed. We sang Thanksgiving hymns after eating. Dusty and Dorothy joined us for dessert.

Gathered around while Ellen makes gravy; turkey hot out of the oven; mince pie before and after baking.