Only now, as what I treasure about Thanksgiving
is no longer possible,
only now do I realize that the important aspect of celebrating
this holiday has always been changing,
year after year, decade after decade.
As a child, it was to have playtime with my cousins.
Then as a teenager in love, it was to spend time with my
sweetheart and her (better) family.
As a young parent, it was to make it through without
a diaper blowout or vomiting on the car ride home.
Then the sweet spot years of hosting, with classy
decorations, the special china and exquisite food.
Later, to share my home, to welcome home, my aging parents.
And now, the letting go,
conceding that I don’t have the energy,
accepting as best I can that I am the senior guest
for whom others are on watch lest I trip and fall.
Admitting that I am no longer an essential contributor,
but rather a passive recipient, unneeded observer.
Yet all along, there has been, there remains a constant —
that the point is to gather with family and friends…
and to be grateful.
Clarence Heller lives in St. Louis, Missouri. He publishes a daily poem via Facebook under the heading A Piece of Goodness. When he is not spending time with his family, you can find him tending the garden, working in the prairie, walking in the woods or offering spiritual direction. www.clarenceheller.com
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