November 22: Come to Dinner, Turkey Trot, Happy Thanksgiving

"It's I.  Your Uncle Scrooge.  I have come to dinner.  Will you let me in, Fred?"

One of the last stops Scrooge makes on Christmas Day is his nephew Fred's home.  Scrooge isn't sure whether Fred will welcome him or not.  The day before, Scrooge made it very clear to Fred that he had no intention of attending Fred's Christmas party.  The redeemed Scrooge craves the company and love of his only blood relative.  He wants to share the holiday with his nephew and niece.  Break bread with them.  Give thanks for his second chance.

Today, it is Thanksgiving Day in the United States.  It's a day when families sit down to turkey dinners and count their blessings.  I have two Thanksgiving dinners to attend.  One at my parents' house.  One at my wife's sister's house.  That's a lot of turkey and mashed potatoes and pecan pie.  There's not very many holidays during the year that focus on thanks.  Halloween has costumes and candy.  Christmas has presents and cookies.  Valentine's Day has hearts and chocolates.  Easter has hard-boiled eggs and baked ham.

Thanksgiving has food, too.  A lot of food.  But, above all, this day is a reminder to stop, think about all the abundance of love in your life, and say a little prayer of thanks to God.

One of my personal traditions on Thanksgiving morning is running a 10K race.  I have participated in the Turkey Trot for the past six or so years.  I started with the 5K and graduated to 10K a few years ago.  I was a little worried this year because I haven't been running a whole lot recently.  I thought I was going to be sucking wind by the first half mile.  Instead, I had a great time.  The weather was perfect, almost fifty degrees.  I ran the entire race with one of my best friends, and I didn't struggle at all.  In fact, I felt like I could have run another 6.2 miles when I crossed the finish line.

I give thanks for a great race this morning.  I give thanks for my wife being at the finish line, cheering me on.  I give thanks for my son, standing next to me right now, saying over and over, "Are you almost done with the iPad?  Are you almost done?  Are you almost done?"  I give thanks for turkey.  I give thanks for family.  I give thanks for love.  I give thanks for each and every blessing in my life.  Small and large.

Even if you aren't from the United States, take a few moments today to give thanks.  You won't regret it.

Saint Marty wishes everyone a "Happy Thanksgiving."

Saint Marty gives thanks for Turkey Trot friends