CELEBRATING A DAY TO BE THANKFUL

And the dog barks just as I reach my fingers to the keyboard. Doesn't she know that I have thoughts and feelings to share with friends on this Thanksgiving, but toss and tug will not wait on words or the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Stepping outside into a cool day with sunshine on our backs,  Jack and I play toss, tag, and tug with a Golden Doodle. We could qualify for the funniest video of the day. We are younger because we can still play with puppies. We jump, we run, we make sharp turns, and then we take a Advil. We give thanks that our knees and legs can still move with agility.  

I give thanks that the Macy's Day Parade is being held, even in the light rain fall. Afterall, as my husband says, "Be glad they didn't postpone the Parade this year." I am glad that it is being held for the world to see and hear the music from Broadway musicals.  Al Roker, who is dealing with cancer, looks sprye and happy to be on 34th street. This year's parade is being broadcast so that visually impaired people can enjoy it, too. Perhaps one of the blessings in this year of COVID is that we are all learning to be more inclusive. 

West Indian American Day, Jamaica, Haiti, Panama, Trinidad

 There is something special about parades, from hometown Christmas parades, to Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and my favorite the Rose Bowl Parade. They remind me that this is a time to come together, to share  our lives through colorful scenes, songs, beauty of the flowers, fascination with floats, themes from books and imaginative idea, and a time to be  happy together. 

I am keeping an eye on the clock. No, we have no turkey cooking. We have reached a new level of enjoying the day.  My sister and her husband are in charge of bringing two homemade pies from Shari's Diner in OKC.  Jack and I ordered a meal from The Trails Country Club.  At 11:30  I will simply put the two trays of side dishes in the oven to heat, along with the turkey and beef tenderloin.  On my own, I will fix Pepperidge Farm stuffing and open a can of jellied cranberry sauce. The puppy, we are dog sitting, will then clean the dishes for us. 

When we turned the cooking over to someone else, it seemed to ease the day for my sister and I. We can share a relaxed time with our husbands and each other. For that I am grateful. 

Later today we will call our daughter, Katy, in Okc, our oldest son, Michael, and his family in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, and son, Matthew,  in Brooklyn, NY. Like so many families in the world we have not seen our sons since 2019. I am not thankful for that, but I am proud of them for taking this virus seriously and staying safe. 

Over a month ago many locations in the OKC area woke up to frozen and broken limbs and trees. Trees covered with leaves and ice sound like gunshots when they break and fall to the ground. It took Jack and I nearly two weeks of cutting, dragging, and stacking  tree limbs. I have not found reason to be thankful for this blow of nature, until we offered to babysit June Bug, a four month old Goldendoodle, for the week of Thanksgiving. Suddenly, our cut tree limbs have become the greatest toy for a chewing puppy. Jack took time to cut up limbs, some heavy some light for her to chew, and several have found their way indoors. Suddenly, bark takes on new meaning when it is a puppy barking with surprise at a new discovery or tree bark all over the living room floor. I texted my sister and said,  "We have a puppy dog visitor. Please dress appropriately for a dog who wants to chew anything in sight." 

Jonya, my sister, replied, "We will dress appropriately, protectively, and defensively." So our family will celebrate this day and say our blessings that Covid has not struck our family. Our prayers and heartfelt love is extended to all who are suffering at this time. 

MAY THIS DAY BE A REMINDER OF THE WONDERFUL THINGS IN LIFE.