Thanksgiving Day 2

Thanksgiving Part 2:

As a child, I remember always looking forward to the holidays. It was always a time filled with loud children and laughing adults. Playing with cousins was the best time. My maternal grandparents were much stricter than my paternal grandmother, my paternal grandfather passed away when I was 6mos old. I can still hear my maternal grandfather yelling at all of us for throwing frisbees or bouncing a football off the roof of his garage. He always said we were going to ruin the roof. They also had a large screened in patio area, if one of us even thought about touching the screen material, my grandfather would know. I think that we all may have done the things he disliked the most intentionally. My maternal grandmother was more refined than my grandfather. Her voice was soft and grandmotherly. She was God fearing, I do not remember her ever swearing. My grandfather made up for it, I am certain we all deserved it.

My paternal grandmother was much different. She would let us dig in the dirt with her good spoons; she would tell us to make sure we brought them back in and put them in the dish pan.  Hank and I would lug any fish we had caught from the creek right into her house. She made us feel as if we had caught a whale. I do not remember, however, they were probably minnows. She would make us tie a string around each other whenever we went to the creek. I guess if one of us fell in, the other would go in the drink too.

Sometimes I long for those days, when things were simple. No cell phones, computers, or video games for distractions. Just good old-fashioned fun playing outside, rain, snow, sleet or shine, we were always outside. Visiting with loved ones was frequent, intentional, and filled with memories. It is nearly impossible to even have a conversation without someone being distracted by electronics now.

I recently reconnected with my childhood best friend Turtle. I moved at the end of my sixth-grade year, I truthfully do not remember seeing her after that. She is certain that we have. Turtle has reminded me of simpler times. How important it is to intentionally take time to be present. She does not care for her cell phone; she is more of a face-to-face type of person. I am clearly more comfortable behind a keyboard.

We can come up with a million excuses as to why we do not make frequent and intentional visits with others. There is always something else that has to be done, somewhere else to be, there is never any time. I do not know if I had ever really thought of it before. Shortly after we had reconnected via social media, Turtle said she was going to come to see me. I blew it off, I say those very words all of the time, never acting on it. The next day we were messaging and she said I am going to come to see you Monday, this was a Friday. I said OK, blowing it off again, only because I know how I operate. At some point I sent her my address. Monday morning comes and she messages me and said she was still planning on coming that afternoon after work. That was still several hours away, I could have and would have come up with a thousand reasons as to why I could not make it, not Turtle, Turtle showed up. We do not get many visitors, other than amazon. We live in the middle of nowhere, families are not as close as when I was a child/young adult. I am guilty, it is easier and less time consuming to pick up the phone. It is also less intentional as well as less meaningful. Turtle has taught me, on a regular basis, that we are too busy to make that connection by choice. I am sure I have said this in other writings; life is full of choices.  

Thankful Day 2: I am very thankful that God has never left me. Not even during times that I could not have been less deserving. I strive to the best version of myself; however, I am also a backslider. There are plenty of times that I have not been worthy of Gods mercy. He has apparently never felt that way. He places the exact people on my path to teach me how to get back on track. I am so thankful that my heart has been opened, that my eyes can now see, my ears can fully hear.

Lesson: Be intentional with your actions. Make the face-to-face connections, how else will you make memories? Put your electronics down and have a real conversation. Put your phone down and be present with your loved ones during a meal. I promise we had a lot of fun growing up without the electronic distractions. Spend your 86400 wisely, with purpose and meaning.

What are you thankful for?

Have a great day, Toodle-loo