Aloha,
As a naturalized American citizen, I wanted to explain what Thanksgiving means to me, but as I began to write, I wondered... surely I've already shared this story?
I researched through the last four Thanksgiving posts, and yep, there it was... (so, the post you find below was originally published 11.21.11. (with several updates.)
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours (and happy Thursday to everyone else:)
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Aloha,
I wasn't born in America; I just got here as fast as I could.
(I know it’s a cheesy line, but it’s the holidays!)
For my first five Thanksgivings, ('96 to '00) I didn’t care about the holiday, so I volunteered to work at my restaurant, allowing other managers some quality time with their family.
Then, all of a sudden, I found myself working for a place that was closed for Thanksgiving.
And, I didn't know what to do with myself.
(I was new to California and had no friends or family close by.)
A running buddy of mine, also from Ireland, found out my situation while at a dinner party the night before Thanksgiving.
"Hang on a second," says Brian.
He grabs his phone, makes a quick call, and passes the phone to me.
"It's for you."
"What...?"
"Hello, Mark? Yes, this is Brian's mother, Pauline. Brian tells me you've nowhere to go for Thanksgiving?"
"No, ma'am..."
"Right you are, then. Dinner is served at 3 p.m., and just bring yourself."
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CLICK!
"Your mother just hung up on me," I said to Brian, who was smiling like that Cheshire Cat.
"That's me ma."
Needless to say, I had an absolutely wonderful time at their house, where they made me feel like one of the family. And it was inside that small, loving home that I finally "got" the meaning of Thanksgiving.
My life has changed, but, I'll never forget that first Thanksgiving, and whenever I host in the future, I'll do my best to find a "homeless" friend and inviting them to join me. It doesn’t cost anything, and I believe in the principle of paying it forward.
(Footnote... a month after I first met Pauline and her family, she was back on the phone with me on Christmas Eve.)
I was getting ready to have a quiet Christmas alone. Pauline had other ideas...
No prizes for where I was at 3 p.m. Christmas Day!
What's your top memory of Thanksgiving, and if you could invite one extra person (living or deceased) to the table who would it be?
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| Maj. Richard "Dick" Winters |
(My invitation would go to the late U.S. Army Major Dick Winters, former CO of Easy Company – of “Band of Brothers” fame.)
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