Happy Thanksgiving

Sometimes, life gets hectic and it can seem as if there’s never enough time to get everything done that needs doing, much less time to pause and reflect.

But this week is all about reflecting.

Thursday, of course, is Thanksgiving Day. That’s the day set aside each year for all of us to literally “give thanks” for all of our blessings. We all measure our blessings in different ways, I suppose, but to me the biggest blessings in my life are not about tangible, material things. Sure, it’s a blessing to be able to have my basic needs met — a comfortable place to live, food on the table and a job that allows me to pay my bills. But those things don’t mean nearly as much to me as my family, and that’s what I’ll be thinking about as I take a few quiet moments to reflect on just how blessed I am.

I’m grateful every day for my sons, Ronnie and Ryan; my daughters- in-law Christi and Harlie; and my grandsons Hayden and Liam. They mean the world to me, and I cherish every second I spend with them.

I’m especially grateful this year for my bride, Lisa. We’ll celebrate our first anniversary on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. Miss Lisa has changed my life in a million ways, big and small, and I can’t imagine life without her. I’m not sure why she puts up with me sometimes, but she does.

Lisa’s daughter, Lauren, and her boyfriend will visit for the holiday, and we’ll spend Thanksgiving at Lisa’s mom’s home in Rogers. On Friday afternoon, I’ll pick up Liam and he’ll spend the weekend with us. I can’t wait.

At some point, I’ll take a moment to remember those who aren’t with us anymore, especially my mom. Mom made the best cornbread dressing in the world. It was a days-long process that I wish I’d paid more attention to, and she was never satisfied with how the dressing turned out. I never understood that, because it always turned out absolutely perfect. I’d give anything for just one more bite.

Another of Mom’s specialties was homemade chocolate chip cookies. She baked her last batch for Thanksgiving 2003, less than two months before she died.

When I walked into the kitchen at Dad’s home on Thanksgiving Day 2004, he said: “Before you sit down, try one of these cookies.”

I did, not thinking much about it. It was delicious. “Your mom made those,” Dad said. She had mixed the dough the previous year and put it in the freezer.

So there I stood, a 35-year-old man, sobbing quietly in my dad’s kitchen. It’s my most enduring Thanksgiving memory.

To all of you who read this column, I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you are able to spend time with the people you love and I hope you cherish every precious second.

•••

Scott Loftis is managing editor for Carroll County Newspapers. His email address is SLoftis@cherryroad. com.