For All That Stayed the Same

We gathered around the coffee table, bellies full of turkey and stuffing, potatoes and gravy, peas and carrots, all the pickles, cranberry sauce and rolls, oh and coleslaw, all the Thanksgiving things. And yes we were anticipating the pumpkin pie, apple pie, pumpkin cookies, and peanut butter chocolate acorns- yes, all of them. The couches groaned with us as we sank deep into them with no plans of moving too quickly in any direction for a little while.

The book was pulled out from safekeeping, pens poised as the annual question was asked. “What are you thankful for this year?”

Laughter and sentiment as the littles ones and oldest ones crooned out their thoughts; words spoken, and words unspoken hung heavy around the room.

You can’t have a family tradition forty plus years old that doesn’t feel weighty in your chest; weighty with love, laughter, dreams, tears, regret, heartache and gratitude because of it all.

When it comes to her turn she whispers “I’m thankful for the things that stay the same.” The room is quiet, there is so much truth here. Someone dares to ask for more explanation. ” No, we will leave it at that,” she says firmly, quietly, but firmly.

For the family that stayed,
The coleslaw and 3 leaf rolls that stayed
and the little dish of ketchup.
For the remembrance bottle that stayed
The golden treck along the creekbed that stayed
and the handwritten notes in childhood scrawl.
For the commitments that stayed
The imperfect love that stayed
and the marriages fighting for each other.
For the turkey drawings that stayed
The tiny green foliage etched into china that stayed
and even the sudsy clean up by cold gusts from the kitchen window.

Yes, as we pause to reflect together over all the year’s changes today, we will be thankful for all that’s stayed the same.