JIM ‘PAPPY’ MOORE: Putting the Thanks in Thanksgiving
By Jim “Pappy” Moore
When I was a kid, Thanksgiving meant great food my mother would cook, time off from school, football games on television, and enjoying time with family and friends. Although we studied the story of the original Thanksgiving, I was your typical kid. The story meant absolutely nothing to me. But now I’m grown.
Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks for all the great things we have that are largely accidents of fate. We did not choose our parents. We did not choose our country (in most cases), and we did not pick our state, or the schools we went to as a child. These are things we happened into, through no action of our own. If you remember your childhood fondly, thank your parents, thank your friends, and thank your teachers.
Thanksgiving is also a time to give thanks for all the unique advantages we have living at this moment in time, in this country. We have cars, and plumbing, and roads, and airplanes, and air conditioning, and plenty of water. We have food, and lots of it – more of it than we really need. We have cell phones, and television, and internet, and cable. Thank the thinkers and doers who came before, from those who created the wheel, to those who created satellite communications. Thank the farmers, and plumbers, and pilots, and repairmen.
Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for our health and the health of those we love. As I grow older, my health is more of an issue, and that is true for friends or relatives of my age and older. As age takes its toll, as we lose to death those we know and love, we suddenly realize everyone will not be with us forever, and we won’t be here forever, either. Be thankful to those who care for us, who tend to our health, who care for us when we are suffering.
Thanksgiving is a time to thank our children for being so important to us. Children never reach a point in their lives where they do not appreciate sincere compliments from their parents. Children blossom with praise, and when they get praise, it helps reinforce their positive behaviors. They bring their parents so much joy, and it is right to thank them. Have you ever thanked your children at Thanksgiving for all the joy they have brought you in this life?
Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for this amazing world we live in. I cannot drive across East Texas without marveling at the awesomeness of nature. It is ever changing, and ever the same. Its dependability is comforting. Sure, it might slap us silly every now and then, but the warmth of the morning sun on a cold autumn day, the brilliance of the moon on a clear, crisp night, the formations of migratory birds, every year, always in that familiar formation – these are reminders of the perfection of our world. Everyone can thank whomever they want to, I suppose. I’ll thank God first, nature and good luck. I’ll thank family and friends.
Eat your fill. It’s a good day to be alive.
Y’all have a good one!
Copyright 2022, Jim “Pappy” Moore. All rights reserved.