Giving Thanks On Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving Day has always been a favorite holiday of mine. It’s a time when family and friends are brought together to share a banquet of a meal. Heartfelt hard work and time true recipes are what make the meal itself above all the others served at the dinner table during the year. Kudos to all those home chefs that put their imagination, skills, time, and work into the preparations for such a delicious meal. From that handsome carved bird on the platter, stuffing, giblet gravy, mashed potatoes, bean salad, cranberry sauce, pumpkin, apple, and pecan pies, and the many other cherished side dishes that crowd the table and counters, it’s impossible to walk away from the table without overeating. Everything tastes so good we cannot resist going back for more even though we have already had to loosen our belts.
With the meal behind us, we then sit down to allow the food to digest while the children all play together and the adults sit back and talk of things from the past, the present, and the future. Often those people we are conversing and visiting with are folk we love but only see in person but once a year or even less often. Sometimes we realize age and health may be getting on with some of those loved ones, and this may be our last face to face visit. We try not to think about those matters and just enjoy the day.
So what are the things we have to be thankful for? For myself, I have plenty to appreciate. Last year at this same time I was recovering from throat cancer and double pneumonia. I had undergone 68 radiation treatment sessions (twice a day five days per week). The treatment was worse than the cancer as it closed my throat, making it impossible to swallow. What I did accomplish in swallowing went into my lungs instead of my stomach, thus the cause of the pneumonia. For that, I spent a month in the hospital on oxygen. This was midway through my radiation treatments and the rest had to be halted until I was out of the hospital. I developed bad anxiety attacks. I still could not swallow and therefore did not eat any of the meals brought me. I lost 60 pounds over a two-month period. A few days before my hospital discharge, I finally convinced my doctors to put a feeding tube through my belly and into my stomach. A liquid diet through that tube was how I survived.
By the time of my discharge, I was still on oxygen and in a wheelchair. I was not able to take more than two steps on my own ability. I was still experiencing anxiety attacks. Life seemed pretty bleak for me at the time. I set a goal for myself to be able to swallow whole food by Thanksgiving Day so I could enjoy the holiday. I accomplished that goal, although I was only able to eat things such as mashed potatoes with plenty of gravy. A year later and I still have great difficulty swallowing most foods. Many of my favorite foods I am unable to eat. On the bright side of it, I’m no longer overweight. I am able to eat enough to keep my weight maintained at a steady weight.
I recently found out I have mouth cancer and had surgery removing a small part of the base of my tongue. That did not remove all of it and therefore have to have another surgery to remove cancer from deeper. They also found a spot on my lung and I will undergo a biopsy next week to determine if the spot is cancer or just a scar from the pneumonia.
I’m confident all this is nothing more than an inconvenience and will be fixed with medical procedures.
So, today I am thankful for having another holiday to celebrate with family and friends. A splendid meal to share. A large screen TV to watch my favorite football team play later in the day. (That large screen TV, I found on the curbside a few weeks ago. I had to spend $37 on a part to repair it and some time doing the repair. It works great now!)
We all have positive things for giving thanks. We could dwell on all the bad but it would not change anything. As the serenity prayer says:
On this Thanksgiving Day 2019, I wish everyone a safe and wonderful holiday and hope you are able to share it with loved ones. Also, remember those who may not have a loved one to share with and especially those who have nothing.