Happy Thanksgiving! I admit I had some skepticism about this particular holiday, but after having seen many celebrations, I believe it is like most things in human life: a good thing that is sometimes tainted by struggle and darkness. Allow me to tell you what I have seen.
It was a joy for me to encounter Lamarr’s mother Shawna again. Surrounded by her entire family, she was in her element, boasting about their accomplishments, commanding assistants in her kitchen, and nagging them about their behavior. Only one among the entire Woods clan was missing, and it was a sight to see, thirteen people in that one small house, and nothing but happiness to be found. True, Lamarr’s prayers were interrupted by his nieces playing, and Mitch and Aaron came nearly to blows over an action figure, and Mariah burst into tears when her college-age sisters refused to let her taste the wine they were pouring for themselves, but somehow the irritation and brief tensions between this family did not break with the happiness, but only became a part of it. Such is how it should be with a true family.
Everyone was delighted with Tammy, despite her nerves—she and Bailey, who is married to Lamarr’s brother Anthony, became fast friends, so much so that by the end of the night, Tammy had asked Bailey if she would be in the wedding.[1] I thought that the highlight of the evening would be the moment when Shawna brought the turkey out, accompanied by loud cheering from her brood, and laid it ceremonially in front of Anthony at the head of the table to carve. In truth, it was the next moment, when the phone rang and it was answered to reveal David’s voice, calling from among the army half the world away. The meal may have gone cold while they spoke to their estranged member, but no one grudged the loss.
Less boisterous, but no less happy, was the quiet meal Ramona and Jesse shared with his parents in his home. Ramona might have been nervous at the prospect of meeting Jesse’s family, but she has recently received good news—her mother is planning to come and visit for Christmas. Her excitement made a good impression on Bill and Allison, who were charmed by her obvious love for her mother—and for their son, as they saw throughout the evening. Jesse was more thoughtful, as is the norm with him; this is the first time he has celebrated the holiday with someone other than family since Victoria’s death. It came as something of a surprise to him, that he could think of this without pain.
Don and Charlotte had greater reservations, for they had been invited to celebrate the holiday with Maria. Their relationship with Don’s ex-wife has been improving, but still they were both a bit apprehensive in their own minds. They needn’t have worried. Priscilla and Jayden provided some cushion for the tension, and over the course of the evening, the adults relaxed into a silent accord, not friendship, perhaps, but no longer dreading an encounter with one another. Don kissed Maria on the cheek when he said good-night, a gesture that mellowed the memory of their separation and brought back some of the respect they had once had for one another.
Neither Brooke nor Morgan could get enough time off work to go home. They had planned to spend the evening much as they do any other, but just a few days ago they received an invitation to celebrate with Mrs. Yates’ family. Mrs. Yates, who firmly believes that Thanksgiving is for family and should not be ignored, opened her own family to the girls, all of whom were kind and welcoming.
Myrtle and Jaquinn did not celebrate together—their relationship is not enough advanced that they feel comfortable sharing their holidays. So Jaquinn returned to his family in Pennsylvania, while Myrtle ordered take-out with her father, as she does every year. I do know, however, that they thought of one another, and of what might be the next time Thanksgiving rolls around.
As for Pamela, she of course did not celebrate with her family—or at least, not with the family she was born into. Late in the evening, though, long after she thought the holiday to be over, there was a knock on her door, and she opened it to find a large group of friends, all carrying bits of food stolen from their own Thanksgiving tables. Laughing, she let them in, and they cobbled together a meal of cooled, messy bits of food, though everyone claimed that it was delicious. The ample supply of wine might have had something to do with that; the warmth of the company, who stayed late into the night, laughing and telling obscene stories, probably had more.
It was a busy day of work for me, flying from place to place, but I do not grudge the weariness. It was a pleasure, and what I realize about this holiday is that it is not so much a time when the humans are more thankful for their lot than they otherwise are, although some are. It is a time when they gather around themselves the things and the people they are most thankful for, like an offering for the eyes of others. See, they seem to say, surrounded by family and friends. This is why I am blessed.
[1] Gauging from the amount of time spent among the women planning this wedding, I would imagine that such ceremonies are immensely complicated.