Humbled and Blessed

Written By Hennessy:

To think I rode my Harley just three days ago and now there is 3 inches of snow on the ground is rather hard to grasp. But, if you live where we do, you have come to expect this weather as a right of the calendar. Rarely, do we get out of this time of year without snow. Being a biker, I do not exactly welcome this, however, it is time for the seasons to change, and the snow to fly here. What it also indicates is that Thanksgiving is here upon us once again. I love this day, and for it to be snowing is just so much more enjoyable.

As I sit and watch the snow fall slowly from the sky and into our lives, I feel so humbled and blessed. I cant exactly put my finger on it why the snow just makes this particular day so captivating. Any other day it snows I really don’t care to enjoy it, but this day makes it just that much more special. It tells us to be home, for this holiday, together with family and be amongst the ones we care so dearly about. Perhaps knowing that we don’t have to leave the house for any reason is why I am enjoying the snow. It is telling me that there is nothing outside, that the snow is a barrier to hold me in my warm home with the one I so dearly love, my wife, Jennifer. No need to venture into this cold arctic, just stay inside and let the day work its magic into our souls. A day of thanks, a day of love, time to sit together and smile. If there is such a thing as a snow god, I thank him.

This day is not about gifts, malls, returns, or commercialism. It is the one-day of the year we assemble for visiting and family that has really only the purpose of gathering together for friendship. A day to reflect, a time to talk and a setting of peacefulness. The dinner table has been heralded as the pulpit of speeches. We gather and sit amongst our families to visit. No gifts, just talking. A lost art I think that has escaped so many of us. But why? Sure, we make some phone calls long distance, laugh and relive the year we have missed out on together. We wave at the neighbors, maybe even send an email. I don’t really understand why we don’t do this each and every day. What hold does this day have on us that we assemble and tell one another about our last years life’s worth. At least we have this day, we should not be greedy. This day is not for that; it is for cherished moments at the table.

So let it snow then. Let feet of it accumulate and hold us hostage with one another so that the clock does not tell us it is time to go. May the snow fall upon our roofs and blanket us with more time to spend together. Wrap us up in laughter; remind us we can stay for another hour or so before our departures. It is OK... we can shovel later.

My day will be spent in my kitchen. I will leave it to be with my best girl, and sit her down at our table and light the candles and just hold hands in the twinkling of the flickering light. I will hear in my distant memory the words and the laughter that once came from this table. Memories of my father carving the bird as he called it. My mum in her apron. My two brothers side by side across from me. I shall pause, recall, and smile. I wish they were here now with me to talk. Just for this day. I wish the snow would bring them to me. Come home, come back. Just for one day. Sit with Jennifer and I, say hi to Izzy our dog. Bask in the warmth that is our home. Sit, and please stay for just a while.
I can’t wait to cook. I have so looked forward to this day. My mum labored tirelessly to prepare this meal of thanks for our family. To me, it is a labor of love I cannot get enough of. The smells, the taste of the feast; memories. I look back at the Thanksgiving days we have spent together in our marriage. It is storybook and will forever adorn my mind. I am a homer, and this day is my day at home. I love my wife, and home with her is heaven on this earth of ours. So let it snow, keep me inside where I am shielded from the world and let me savor this day and pray to God my many thanks for letting me enjoy it and be here for it. Thanks, for giving us the snow. The heavens have blanketed us with comfort, I for one shall enjoy the quiet storm outside, for I know that in my home, there is just peace inside these four walls. May God bless us and let us be humbled.