THAT EMPTY CHAIR
As I bow my weary head today
I'M THANKFUL FOR... ~ by Christine Ross in memory of Lucas Christopher Ross 1979 - 2001
I'm thankful for
We can only be said to be alive
THANKSGIVING
The year has turned its circle,
WHAT MATTERS IT THE COLD WIND'S BLAST
What matters it the cold wind's blast,
The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts.
One can see what will trouble
Forever on Thanksgiving Day
Gratitude is the heart's memory.
Ah! on Thanksgiving day....
This is the finest measure of thanksgiving:
I would thank you from the bottom of my heart,
GOODBYE PUMPKIN PIE!
Year after year after year
Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,
OVER THE RAINBOW AND THROUGH THE CLOUDS
(to the tune of Over the River)
Over the rainbow and through the clouds
To heavenly skies we go.
The stars know the way
To take us today
To the heavens from earth below....O!
Over the rainbow and through the clouds,
Oh how our love does flow.
It grips the soul
To fill this hole.
As over the stars we go.
Over the rainbow and through the clouds
To have a special day.
Oh hear these hearts sing
With love that we bring.
Hurrah for this trip away.
Over the rainbow and through the clouds
Go fast to reach this place.
Just look all around
At the peace they've found,
For this is our children's way. Hey!
Over the rainbow and through the clouds
And straight through the heavenly gate.
We seem to go
Extremely slow.
It is so hard to wait!
Over the rainbow and through the clouds
Now angel wings we spy.
Hurrah for the fun,
Don't let it be done.
Hurrah when there's no more goodbyes.
© 2005 - Christine Ross
And I say my Thanksgiving prayer,
I look up across the table
And I see it... that empty chair.
Oh God, what can I be thankful for?
I miss that smile, I miss that kiss.
But I will try to be thankful
Though all I feel is emptiness.
Through the emptiness I am thankful
For all of those wonderful years.
The times we spent together.
The happiness, love, and tears.
I'm thankful for the memories
That drift through my mind from the past.
Those glowing eyes, those amazing hugs,
And that big incredible laugh.
I'm thankful for the things I've learned
From someone that really mattered,
Who taught me what's important,
Who always had room for laughter.
I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving day
My remaining family shares.
But most of all I'm thankful for...
All the things in that empty chair.
© Christine Ross
~ in memory of Lucas Christopher Ross 1979 - 2001
many things...
peaceful dreams,
angel wings,
memories, photos,
baby books,
special keepsakes,
remembered looks,
winter's snow,
springtime's rain,
summer's sun,
autumn's flame,
Easter eggs,
Christmas trees,
jack-o-lanterns,
New Years eve,
puppies, kittens,
little boys,
little girls,
favorite toys,
sleepy sunrise,
whispered talks,
golden sunsets,
evening walks,
burning candle,
silent prayer,
flowers, music,
breath of air,
family, friends,
heaven above,
earth below,
cherished love,
holding hands,
saying goodbye,
hugs and kisses,
wondering why,
laughter, giggles,
lots of smiles,
happiness
for awhile.
All these things
I'm thankful for
because in them...
there you are.
© 2007 - Christine Ross
in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.
~Thornton Wilder
The seasons come and go.
The harvest all is gathered in
And chilly north winds blow.
Orchards have shared their treasures,
The fields, their yellow grain,
So open wide the doorway -
Thanksgiving comes again!
~Anonymous
What matters though 'tis snowing,
Thanksgiving Day has come at last;
To grandmamma's were going.
Wrapped in furs as warm as toast,
O'er the hills we're fleeting;
To welcome friends, a merry host
And grandma's smile of greeting.
The sleigh bells jingle merrily,
And though the flakes are flying,
At last beyond the hills we see
A little mansion lying.
I'm sure we'll find sweet cakes and fruit
And pumpkin pies so yellow;
For grandma knows just how to suit
Each hungry little fellow.
~Unknown
No Americans have been more impoverished than these who,
nevertheless,
set aside a day of thanksgiving.
H. U. Westermayer
~
This sleep of mine,
whatever sleep it is.
Were he not gone,
The woodchuck could say whether it's like his
Long sleep,
as I describe its coming on,
Or just some human sleep.
Robert Frost
The heart will find the pathway home.
~Wilbur D. Nesbit
French Proverb
When the care-wearied man seeks his mother once more,
And the worn matron smiles where the girl smiled before.
What moistens the lips and what brightens the eye?
What calls back the past, like the rich pumpkin pie?
~John Greenleaf Whittier
a thankfulness that springs from love.
~ William C. Skeath
but for you my heart has no bottom.
~ Author Unknown
I go crazy!
Every Thanksgiving
I sit with the babies!
It's the little kids' table;
The table for tots,
Where my mom makes me sit
If I like it or not.
The table for grown-ups
Is fit for a king,
With goblets And giblets
And gold napkin rings,
And bread rolls and salad
And dressing with drippings,
One glass just for drinking,
And one just for sipping!
But here all the kids
Drink from Styrofoam cups,
We eat small turkey bits
That our moms have cut up.
Our plates are red plastic
And so are the spoons,
And we eat by ourselves
In a small dining room.
I have dozens of cousins
Age one and age two
Whose Thanksgiving feast
Is a greenish-brown goo.
They slop up their faces
With vegetable mashes
And after they drink
They all have Milk mustaches.
They urp,
And they burp,
And they belch
And they gulp;
Oh, why can't I sit
At the feast for adults?
All the mooshing
And mashing
And smooshing
And gnashing!
I put down my fork
And I thought about fasting!
I'd never eat turkey
Again in my life!
Never pick up a fork!
Never pick up a knife!
I'd fast like a mountain-top
Indian swami;
I wouldn't touch mustard
Or bread
Or salami!
"I'll never eat mushrooms
"Or green beans
"Or squid!
"And I NEVER will eat
"At the table for kids!"
"What's wrong?" asked my mom,
She was pouring some drinks;
"You haven't touched dinner...
"Not one single thing!"
She straightened the napkin
Tucked under my chin,
She gave me a hug
As she pushed my chair in,
She cut up my turkey bits
Two sizes smaller,
She held up my glass,
"Have a sip of some water!"
She dished up a spoon
Of potatoes and gravy;
My mom tried to feed me
Like I was a baby!
Well, my face turned as red
As the rhubarb pie filling!
I quick turned away,
And my cup went a-spilling!
BOOSH! Water splashed on
Mom's face and her hair,
And it looked like some gravy
Was mixed up in there,
Because polka dots spotted
My mom's bright white dress!
Her Thanksgiving suit
Was a gravy-brown mess!
I should've said "Sorry!"
I should've said "Oops!"
I should've helped mom
Wipe the gravy-brown goop.
What happened instead
Is a mystery, my friends.
But there's one thing for sure- - -
I won't do it again!
I opened my mouth- - -
Do you know what I did?
I sassed my mom back
Like a spoiled snotty kid.
"I can use my own fork!
"I can use my own knife!
"And I don't want to sit
"At the table for tikes!"
"I can't stand all the gunk!
"I can't stand all the gak!
"I won't watch little Timothy
"Eating like that!"
"He's got yams in his hair,
"He's got yams North and South,
"And there's food everywhere
"But inside of his mouth!"
"Then there's Sarah and Icky
"And Jimmy and Franz
"Mixing peas in their milk!
"Eating with their bare hands!"
"This is NOT what the Pilgrims
"And Indians did,
"I DON'T WANT TO SIT HERE
"AT THE TABLE FOR KIDS!!"
Then mom said,
"I think your Thanksgiving's all through,
"And I think that it's time
"You go up to your room."
"In my ROOM?!" my brain thought,
This just couldn't be true!
In my ROOM?!
Why,
WHY,
WHY??
What on earth did I do??
My tummy got grumbly,
My feet both felt stumbly,
I wanted to shout,
But my mouth was all mumbly.
I walked past the turkey,
The dressing and trimmings,
My feast was now ending
Before its beginning.
"Goodbye, pumpkin pie!"
I said, as I walked by it,
"So long, green bean bake!"
Though I never would try it,
"Farewell, acorn squash,
"And potatoes au gratin!
"Ta-ta, apple tart
"With your whip-creamy topping!"
I sat all alone
On my bed feeling hungry.
It felt like I had
A stone knot in my tummy.
I could still hear
The forks and the knives and the spoons
Clacking and clinking
And scraping up food;
My sniffer sniffed smells
Drifting up from afar,
And on Thanksgiving Day
I was sure I would starve!
So I played with my toys
Then I sang a few numbers,
I stood on my head
To get rid of this hunger,
Then somersaults,
Push-ups,
I played tiddly-winks,
But Thanksgiving turkey
Was all I could think!
My belly growled out
Like a great grizzly bear,
And I knew,
Pretty soon,
I'd need something down there!
Anything,
ANYTHING!
Liver, or beets!
Even heaps of
Hungarian pickled pigs' feet!
"I'll eat wood like a termite!
"Or flies like a frog!
"I'll chew catnip like kitties!
"Or shoes like a dog!"
I was just about ready
To snack on my hat,
When I heard someone knocking,
RAT-TAT-A-TAT-TAT!
It was mom with a plate
Piled high with a feast,
And it didn't seem
that she was mad
In the least.
She set up a TV tray
Right by my bed,
And she gave me a kiss
On the top of my head.
"You're growing up fast,"
She said, hiding a tear,
"Won't you join the adults
"For Thanksgiving next year?"
© 1992 Howard D. Fencl
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.
John Howard Payne (1791 - 1852)
MEMORIAL WREATHS
"VISIT WITH LUKE"
Last Entry in Luke's Journal:
"When there is love in my heart and a smile on my face,
I need nothing else." ~ Luke Ross
"MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU"
Music playing:
OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS