On a sweltering Texas day this past summer, a friend, in all seriousness, warned me that there was going to be a considerable turkey shortage come November. She had already bought hers and advised me that I’d best do the same. Never one to panic unless my house is in the direct path of a tornado, I mentally filed her dire alert in my “Don’t sweat the small stuff” file.
Occasionally, the same story popped up in various media sources. I shrugged them off as well.
Last week as I was cooking dinner, yet another somber story on network news aired, complete with a turkey farmer standing amidst his gaggle of gobblers, speaking into the camera about his woeful turkey business. That one got filed in my “Oh, well . . . there’s always ham” file.
But guess what jumped out at me from the front-page headline as I picked up the newspaper later that evening? Turkey wars! And sure enough, when the ads arrived the next morning, the clouds of all the doom and gloom lifted, and the sun broke through. Every grocer was offering a free turkey with a $100 additional purchase!
That very afternoon, I hoisted the biggest bird I could find out of the freezer bin and heaved it into my grocery cart, along with the required $100 worth of fixin’s. Right then and there, I determined that the only fasting I planned on doing for the holiday was to take a “fast” from all the media whose primary goal seems to be turning tiny molehills into towering mountains of anxiety and fear!
Next week is Thanksgiving. Between now and then, I will ponder all that God has blessed me with and bow my head in gratitude to Him for the goodness and the grace and the wonder, and abundance that is ours in this amazing country.
I’m going to vow to do what I can to help make this the United States of America instead of the Divided States of America.
On the big day, I’ll watch a football game and have one more sliver (or two) of pie. I will live and love and laugh with friends and family, and then park myself in a comfy chair to sleep off my turkey coma.
Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be just once a year. An attitude of gratitude goes a long way every day.
And as you are making your preparations and running your errands, remember that the whole world is short-staffed. Please be kind to those who showed up.
Oh, and don’t forget to wear stretchy pants to your Thanksgiving feast. You’ll need them!