| |
| |
|
Holidays Information |
|
|
|
The Thanksgiving Blessing
"Wouldn't you just know it," muttered my husband, Randy. We had already been driving for a couple of hours in a pickup truck that we had borrowed from a friend, and now it was completely dark. "What's wrong?" I asked sleepily. I had dozed off only a few minutes ago. "It's starting to rain," Randy replied, as he reached over to turn on the windshield wipers. Rain? In a few seconds, I came fully awake. If it was raining, that meant Mom and Dad's furniture was getting wet. So far, it had been my worst Thanksgiving ever. Dad had passed away a month ago. My mother had died seven years earlier. When I was a kid, we always celebrated Thanksgiving at home. All four of my grandparents had died before I was born, and to me, Thanksgiving meant celebrating the holiday with Mom and Dad. But now, for the very first time in my whole life, all thirty-four years of it, there had been no one to spend Thanksgiving with at my parents' place. Randy and I did, however, have plenty of work to do at Mom and Dad's house. A family wanted to rent it, and we needed to have it cleaned out by Christmas. Randy and I had been married for a little less than six months, and this was hardly the way that I had wanted us to spend our first Thanksgiving as a married couple. And yet, I knew it was no use waiting. That if we waited it wouldn't bring either of my parents back. But cleaning out the house seemed so final. The end of a lifetime. The end of two lifetimes. I simply wasn't ready. Although, if I were going to be honest with myself, I knew I probably never would be "ready." We had decided to take some of Mom and Dad's furniture home with us. My parents' house was in west central Wisconsin, and my husband I lived two-hundred-and-fifty miles away in the southern part of the state. After we had loaded the first piece of furniture into the pickup truck we had borrowed, Mom and Dad's bedroom looked very empty without the dresser that they'd had for as long as I could remember. In the top dresser drawer, my mother had kept some of her keepsakes, including a strand of blond hair. When I was a kid and had gotten my hair cut short, Mom wanted to save some of it. Dad's drawer held a few keepsakes too. His old pocket watch, for one thing. Dad always carried a pocket watch. He had been a farmer, and he said a wristwatch would never survive the hardships of farm work (dust and water, grease and oil). In addition to the dresser, we had taken Mom's cherry wood buffet. My mother had stored her tablecloths and what she referred to as her "good dishes" in the buffet. Randy and I were also bringing home the chest-of-drawers that I'd had since I was a little girl. Although the middle drawer looks like two separate drawers, it is actually one big drawer. When I was growing up, I had been fascinated by the design and had used the big drawer for storing my sweaters. But now, after we had so carefully loaded the furniture and strapped it into the back of the truck, it was raining, which meant everything was all going to end up ruined. No, wait a minute. The furniture was not going to get wet. We had put a tarp over the load. "Well, at least we've got a tarp," I said to my husband. By this time, it was raining so hard the windshield wipers couldn't keep up, even on high. Randy shook his head. "The tarp won't help much unless we tie it down better." A few minutes later, my husband pulled off at a gas station. "But what are we going to tie it down WITH?" I asked, as the truck swayed in a gust of wind that hit it broadside. We hadn't counted on wind and rain or that we would need more rope. Randy smiled. "These," he said, bending down to pull the laces out of his work boots. "If I cut them into pieces, I should have enough to go around." It was still raining when we arrived home several hours later, so Randy put the truck in the garage. The next day I could hardly believe my eyes when we discovered that the furniture had suffered only a few wet spots here and there, but that nothing had gotten completely soaked. "What would I do without you?" I said to my husband as I ran my hand over Mom and Dad's dresser. "I never would have thought of shoelaces. Not in a million years." Randy shrugged. "I couldn't let your mom and dad's furniture get ruined, could I? What kind of a person would I be if I let that happen?" And just then it dawned on me that even though it had seemed like my worst Thanksgiving ever, I actually had quite a few things to be thankful for. And my husband was right at the top of the list. About The Author LeAnn R. Ralph is the editor of the Wisconsin Regional Writer (the quarterly publication of the Wisconsin Regional Writers' Assoc.) and is the author of the book: Christmas In Dairyland (True Stories From a Wisconsin Farm) (August 2003). Share the view from Rural Route 2 and celebrate Christmas during a simpler time. Click here to read sample chapters and other Rural Route 2 stories - http://ruralroute2.com; bigpines@ruralroute2.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Holidays - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Birthday Gift Baskets - The Ideal Gift For Everyone! No matter how old we are, we enjoy being remembered on that special day of the year that celebrates the day we were born! Birthdays are a time to recognize special people in our lives with joyous celebration. It is a time-honored tradition to pay tribute the birthday gal or guy with a mouth-watering cake decorated with sugar-laden frosting sculptures and a candle representing every year of their life on earth! We bestow on them gifts and cards filled with birthday verses and best wishes for many more birthdays to come. 10 Reasons Santas Broke This Year 1. Santa Spends More Than He MakesSanta's paychecks are nothing to sneeze at, but he stays focused on his next raise. Fathers Day Origins and Inspiration While mothers have had their special day since 1914, fathers have only recently officially received the recognition they so richly deserve. After all, dad is the pillar of the family unit, the one who made us feel safe, loved to tickle and tease, and above all gave us a sense of security. Important Chinese Festivals Chinese New Year/Lunar New Year (January/February)It is usually in the winter of a year. The exact date would follow the one in Lunar Calendar. Top 5 Ways for an ADD Adult to Have a Happy Holiday Holidays have the potential to send an adult with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) into overload. Too many details to plan, kids to manage, and family to cope with can turn a good day into a stressful one. Celebrate Parks Day, Everyday this Summer! Canada's Parks Day falls on July 16'th this year. First celebrated in 1990, Parks Day is an opportunity for individuals to participate in hundreds of unique and fun events taking place in sites from coast to coast. Celebrating Fathers On Father's Day, we celebrate the guys in our lives. Not just our dads and the fathers to our children, but all the men who have made a positive impact on a child's life. Gift Shopping Tips for Tight Budgets Have you seen the prices of greeting cards lately? It is hideous! Once you purchase the card and gift-wrap, your overall cost can easily increase by $10 to$15. If you are on a tight budget, this can be difficult as you spend more on the fluff and less on the actual gift. Free Christian Ecard and Christian Ecards A free Christian ecard is comprised of inspirational quotes, musical greetings, messages of love, get well soon, and a plethora of other familiar greeting card options free of charge. Family and holiday Christian ecards are also available. The Gift My Brother Couldnt Give From the book A Heartland Christmas CollectionIn the first years after my brothers, sister, and I left home, there were several Christmases in which our ability to give fell far short of our desire. In fact, we often found ourselves getting very creative if we were going to give any Christmas presents at all. Christmas Gifts For Dolphin Lovers Choosing a dolphin lover gift may not be as easy as it is for a pet lover, but that is not to say it is not possible. In fact, you will find quite a range of dolphin related gifts around the internet, although in your local store it may be hit and miss as to whether you will find anything. Beyond All Tied Up With A Bow - Great Tips for Creating Beautifully Wrapped Holiday Gifts No matter what the season, packages make a statement even before they're opened. Whether it's a hostess gift for that perfect holiday party, the perfect something for your loved one, or Secret Santa at the office, you want your packages to reflect the thought put into the purchase. Fitness Tips On How To Avoid Gaining Weight During The Holiday Season This holiday season don't be trendy - avoid the Seasonal Seven (the average weight most Americans gain between Thanksgiving and New Year's). That's one trend you don't want to participate in!I know what you are thinking - the holidays are a time for fun and indulgence. Cornucopia Centerpiece for Thanksgiving Day As we enter into the month of November my thoughts turn towards Thanksgiving and everything that this wonderful holiday has to offer.It is a time for spending time with family and friends and for counting the many blessings the past year has brought to us. Contact Lenses for Halloween It is never too soon to begin planning the perfect Halloween costume, and frequently the best ones require a lot of planning and special effects items. Luckily for all the Halloween fans out there, there is now a huge line of contact lenses for Halloween. Fun, Fireworks, & Flowers! The 4th of July is a time for celebrating Freedom! Your local florist can create the perfect floral arrangement to celebrate this Independence Day! Flowers in Patriotic colors are plentiful during this special summer holiday. Think of the many ways you can incorporate the beauty of flowers into your 4th of July Celebration!Having a family picnic? Your local florist can create beautiful centerpieces rich with red, white and blue! If you have a favorite summer flower, your local florist can design your Independence Day Arrangements using the freshest in season blooms! Festive miniature flags can adorn these colorful table flowers! Even your photographed holiday memories will shine brighter with colorful floral accents!Missing someone? The 4th of July is a wonderful holiday to send a gift to those friends that are miles away! A vase or basket of flowers with your special message is sure to bring a smile! Balloon Bouquets in Red, White & Blue can be added for a festive touch! A Green or Blooming Plant will be treasured throughout the summer season and beyond! You may also consider a Gourmet Gift Basket full of delicious treats delivered right to their door!Holding a "Special Event" during this holiday weekend? Your local florist can create beautiful designs for your event including elegant vase arrangements, garden themed basket designs, centerpieces. Christmas Matters Every year I vow to make Christmas easier, simpler - less stressful.Have I ever? One year I tried forgetting Christmas here in the UK and spent it in the Canary Islands. Nicely Designed Pillows As Gifts Many of us are probably squeezing out our brains to the limit just for a single purpose, to think of what to give especially when it's Christmas or just a simple birthday present. It's always nice to give the jewelries, toys, clothes and shoes as we all had been used to of what to give. 10 Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day Memorial Day is a day for remembering those who have laid their lives in the nation's service. Memorial Day has also become a popular time for Family Reunions and Get Togethers as it is preceded by a weekend. Greeting Card Tango: How To Impress, Not Stress, During The Holidays When it comes to holiday greeting cards, to send or not to send is often the question. Once you have decided in the affirmative, you then have to determine who to include on your list, what kind of card to choose and how to address the envelope.
|
| home | index |site map |
| © 2006 |
