Happy Thanksgiving Day

Roses in my yard

Light Pink Roses
A joy to behold, light pink roses express fun and happiness--
may you have all of that today on
Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving for me is a day to remember loved ones who have passed and being with family. Celebrating it here in Florida is a whole different feeling than when I grew up. Usually at this time in New Jersey it was always freezing perhaps even snow on the ground. There was always a fire in the fireplace. There was the big highschool football game. Directly following the game was dinner. After dinner, my grandfather was always in his easy chair reading the paper and his cigar was near-by. My Mom was across from him in her favorite chair. She was always reading a favorite book or doing a cross-word puzzle. As kids, we felt safe, secure and loved. We didn't have to express it in words.

After dinner we kids would go outside and if there was "good" snow on the ground, we would sled down the steep hill we lived on that was off of South Mountain or go ice skating at the outside man-made rink downtown. Sometimes we would roast marshmellows as we lighted leaves that were raked in a pile in the gutter just for that purpose. You see, our town was Maplewood and just about every street in it was lined with Maples. It was truly a magnificent and beautiful place. No one worried about tree canopy especially the Blue birds that nested in the Spring along with the Robins whose shell is blue--it was always exciting to find one as a kid! But I digress.

My brother and I feel very thankful for all the wonderful memories, our time growing up and all the values we learned back then. Most of all we are thankful for our family, although gone now, the very ones who really made life worth living and still do. They eventually moved to Lake Worth after vacationing here for many years, a city they always loved.

We will think of them all today with love and gratitude as we do every day and be grateful for all we have, lucky to live in this optimistic and resilient democracy in the greatest country on Earth.

May you all have a happy day.