For those of us here in the U. S. today is the Thanksgiving holiday. Thanksgiving is a holiday that has always been widely and universally commemorated here in the states, and it is one that has grown greatly in popularity in recent years. I think this phenomenon it is in part due to the fact that it is not a holiday with a particular religious tradition behind it. It can be universally practiced if you are Christian, Islamic, Jewish, or Pagan or secularist (as are we), or whatever. The culture wars in the U. S. have become so intense, fed by the religious right, that the sense of community surrounding Christmas has been damaged. So it is wonderful to feel today that all of us can come together to give thanks for our many gifts.
Now there are certainly things to be pessimistic about. Two wars (one of which was purposeless) we visited on the world are raging. Our economy is in ruins in large part due to those wars, and has plunged the world into what is likely to become an economic depression. Disenfranchised and dis-empowered oppressed people the world over continue to use terrorism as their way to gain power and influence over their lives.
As for us here, I have added two new diagnoses in the last month to my collection of middle-aged woes (meralgia peristhetica and lumbar spinal stenosis) which in combination with my my severe osteo arthritis in my knees and hips explain why my legs haven't been working well the last couple of years. Actually this is a good thing in terms of finally knowing exactly what it is that is going on with me, and hopefully the beginning of finding effective treatments and/or curative interventions. Half of the condo that is technically t's and mine is torn apart with interior walls ripped out and carpet gone with a water damage restoration that is only half completed and awaiting approval from the insurance company before work can continue. All our Thanksgiving celebration will be in swan's and my side of the two condo home later this afternoon. I went through quite a rush of sadness about missing my Mom at Thanksgiving (she died with Alzheimer's nine months ago), and my father's future at age 90 is uncertain at best. I have to wonder if these are the last holidays I'll get to hold him in my arms again
BUT AMIDST ALL THIS DOOM & GLOOM WE ARE HAPPY AND VERY THANKFUL.
This is the seventh Thanksgiving that the three of have been together in our home. Saturday will be the tenth anniversary of the star struck magic night that t and I met and began a conversation that has never ended, and never will as long as we have breath. Sunday is the tenth anniversary of my being Executive Director of my agency. Remaining Executive Director of a nonprofit advocacy agency is not necessarily a career path that is noted for longevity. We deal with politics in accomplishing our mission, and people who are passionately oriented to political dynamics in their lives, create internal political dynamics that can be unsettling and can create palace coups. I have weathered those storms and this Sunday I will have remained there for ten years, and I hope my health and good fortune will enable me to be there another ten to retire at 70.
Last night as we (meaning swan and t) prepared the condos for today's celebration swan was genuinely happy. This has become home to her and she is looking forward to our holiday together. Her first few years here and as we came to host our extended family for Thanksgiving dinners in our home, she felt very much like a family outsider despite not only being included in the events but actually hosting them to a great extent. Things are feeling different for her. She talked last night about what an evil experience her mother always made Thanksgivings showing up at sue's home in Denver drunk and spewing vitriol at everyone in the family all day. She talked about how seeing her Mom a few weeks ago for the first time in five years has put closure on her past. She talked about how this has come to be her family Thanksgiving tradition now and how she is looking forward to it.
Now there are certainly things to be pessimistic about. Two wars (one of which was purposeless) we visited on the world are raging. Our economy is in ruins in large part due to those wars, and has plunged the world into what is likely to become an economic depression. Disenfranchised and dis-empowered oppressed people the world over continue to use terrorism as their way to gain power and influence over their lives.
As for us here, I have added two new diagnoses in the last month to my collection of middle-aged woes (meralgia peristhetica and lumbar spinal stenosis) which in combination with my my severe osteo arthritis in my knees and hips explain why my legs haven't been working well the last couple of years. Actually this is a good thing in terms of finally knowing exactly what it is that is going on with me, and hopefully the beginning of finding effective treatments and/or curative interventions. Half of the condo that is technically t's and mine is torn apart with interior walls ripped out and carpet gone with a water damage restoration that is only half completed and awaiting approval from the insurance company before work can continue. All our Thanksgiving celebration will be in swan's and my side of the two condo home later this afternoon. I went through quite a rush of sadness about missing my Mom at Thanksgiving (she died with Alzheimer's nine months ago), and my father's future at age 90 is uncertain at best. I have to wonder if these are the last holidays I'll get to hold him in my arms again
BUT AMIDST ALL THIS DOOM & GLOOM WE ARE HAPPY AND VERY THANKFUL.
This is the seventh Thanksgiving that the three of have been together in our home. Saturday will be the tenth anniversary of the star struck magic night that t and I met and began a conversation that has never ended, and never will as long as we have breath. Sunday is the tenth anniversary of my being Executive Director of my agency. Remaining Executive Director of a nonprofit advocacy agency is not necessarily a career path that is noted for longevity. We deal with politics in accomplishing our mission, and people who are passionately oriented to political dynamics in their lives, create internal political dynamics that can be unsettling and can create palace coups. I have weathered those storms and this Sunday I will have remained there for ten years, and I hope my health and good fortune will enable me to be there another ten to retire at 70.
Last night as we (meaning swan and t) prepared the condos for today's celebration swan was genuinely happy. This has become home to her and she is looking forward to our holiday together. Her first few years here and as we came to host our extended family for Thanksgiving dinners in our home, she felt very much like a family outsider despite not only being included in the events but actually hosting them to a great extent. Things are feeling different for her. She talked last night about what an evil experience her mother always made Thanksgivings showing up at sue's home in Denver drunk and spewing vitriol at everyone in the family all day. She talked about how seeing her Mom a few weeks ago for the first time in five years has put closure on her past. She talked about how this has come to be her family Thanksgiving tradition now and how she is looking forward to it.
We are thrilled at the prospect of Sue's grandchild to be born next May.
We are hugely thankful that the evil "regime" that has been our government for the last eight years was banished in the last election and that soon we and the world can begin under exciting new leadership to begin correcting and healing the huge harm they have done to us all. We are wildly grateful that this new leader will be from a generation even younger than mine (in that we have always viewed ourselves as the generation of revolutionary cultural and political change), and that our new President happens to be Black. There is nothing magic in his blackness other than that it means that one of America's great self-inflicted wounds, slavery, may be entering a new stage in healing. It means too that a world which has come to see us an an evil and incompetent oppressor the last eight years can begin to see us once again as being the actualization of hope and liberty for all of us.
At 5:00 today my father, and my son and his girlfriend, and my daughter and her partner, and my ex-wife, and the three us will all sit down at a feast that my two wonderful chefs have been working to produce for days now. And we will truly be thankful in so many ways. Most particularly because we are together one more year despite all the exigencies of life, and still wildly in love with each other and able to be who we are together in our home.
Last but not least we are so grateful for the sense of community and frequently friendship we have found here through our Blog. We cannot be sure because there are so many folks who read us via reader services whose presence never hits our stats, but it is evident that we've had well over a half million visits since we began and we feel a closeness and warmth with many of you that has truly enriched our lives. Thank you for coming here and being with us.
I wish all of you the most wondrous, warm, and healthy Thanksgiving Day, whereever you may be.
All the best,
Tom
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined.
We are hugely thankful that the evil "regime" that has been our government for the last eight years was banished in the last election and that soon we and the world can begin under exciting new leadership to begin correcting and healing the huge harm they have done to us all. We are wildly grateful that this new leader will be from a generation even younger than mine (in that we have always viewed ourselves as the generation of revolutionary cultural and political change), and that our new President happens to be Black. There is nothing magic in his blackness other than that it means that one of America's great self-inflicted wounds, slavery, may be entering a new stage in healing. It means too that a world which has come to see us an an evil and incompetent oppressor the last eight years can begin to see us once again as being the actualization of hope and liberty for all of us.
At 5:00 today my father, and my son and his girlfriend, and my daughter and her partner, and my ex-wife, and the three us will all sit down at a feast that my two wonderful chefs have been working to produce for days now. And we will truly be thankful in so many ways. Most particularly because we are together one more year despite all the exigencies of life, and still wildly in love with each other and able to be who we are together in our home.
Last but not least we are so grateful for the sense of community and frequently friendship we have found here through our Blog. We cannot be sure because there are so many folks who read us via reader services whose presence never hits our stats, but it is evident that we've had well over a half million visits since we began and we feel a closeness and warmth with many of you that has truly enriched our lives. Thank you for coming here and being with us.
I wish all of you the most wondrous, warm, and healthy Thanksgiving Day, whereever you may be.
All the best,
Tom
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined.
A very happy Thanksgiving to you all from over the pond!
ReplyDeleteHil
Tom, swan and t, wishing a warm and wonderful family celebration!
ReplyDeleteSara
Tom, swan and t, from over the pond, have a wonderful day.
ReplyDeleteWarm hugs,
Paul.
A very happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
ReplyDeleteAnna
I hope that you all had a lovely holiday. Despite all of the adversity that we encounter, there truly is so much to be thankful for. I find in my own life that I am more grateful everyday.
ReplyDeleteAlice