There's So Much to Be Thankful For
Yes, I made all of my classes listen to Josh
Groban's classic tune "Thankful" on Tuesday as part of our reflection
before prayer. And let me tell you, the reactions from "Who is this
guy?" to "Oh, my grandma LOVES him" made me realize just how old
I'm getting (compared to high school students that is!)
Today is Thanksgiving. When I begin to tell you
about my week, you may become a bit skeptical about the title of this post;
however, you’ll learn, as I have today, that it could not be more true. My week
began with a jam-packed Sunday, driving back from a conference in Ocean City
with 6 of my students. Also, we were a little extra tired on the ride back
since a 1:30 AM leak in the hotel rooms above ours resulted in a middle of the
night wake-up call/relocation. I made it through my final two days of classes
prior to break, including Grandparents’ Day, before the ER decided it had been
too long since we’d been acquainted with one another. So Tuesday afternoon I paid it a visit.
Thankfully, it was a quick and rather painless trip (except those IVs…I’m just
not a fan), and by nightfall I was home for a day of convalescing. As luck
would have it, Mother Nature sent a snowstorm which gave me no alternative but
to spend the day on my couch catching up on Hulu, Netflix, and napping…so all
in all, things could have been much worse. Then this morning, I dragged myself
out of bed before dawn, donned my Burke Family Cider Dash shirt and headed off
in the dark of pre-sunrise morning for the Poconos. Well, I was almost halfway
there when this happened:
AAA man looked as crestfallen as I did when he
broke the news. There was no way this could be fixed without a repair shop and
even the one that stayed open for Thanksgiving couldn’t do this job without parts
ordered. There was the option of towing all the way to the Poconos for a small
fee- but also no guarantee the car could be fixed in time for me to get back
for work next week; hence, it was decided by my mom, myself, and my new AAA
friend that the best route was to be towed home to Maryland. So here I sit,
alone in my apartment, with a plate of Katie-safe stuffing (what would have
been my contribution to the family meal).
Now before you start feeling sorry for me,
please don’t. First of all, my mom is driving down tomorrow with all the
leftovers and spending the night here so all is not lost. Second, upon
reflection, this has certainly been the most unique Thanksgiving I’ve ever
celebrated, but also I have to say quite a meaningful one in its own way. No, I
didn’t make it home to celebrate the way I usually do. And yet, somehow I
feel more in touch with the sentiment of
the holiday than I ever have before. Think about it: on the first Thanksgiving,
yes, there were families present. But it was also about bringing together all
different people from different tribes, families, etc. and sharing what they
had, offering what they could, even though some would never cross paths again,
at least not intentionally.
Well, today as I sat in the Redner’s QuickStop
parking lot with a sad looking vehicle, 3 different people approached me and
offered to help. One, completely dressed in his Thanksgiving finest, offered to
jack my car for me, suit and all, before realizing that it was more than just a
flat tire situation. Another offered to get me a warm beverage while still
another occupied my time with questions about this cider dash (I was still
wearing my t-shirt). As we drove the almost 90 miles back to Towson together, I
celebrated a portion of the day with the tow truck driver. Though I profusely
apologized for ruining his Thanksgiving by needing a tow, he assured me that he
was spending the day alone at home with his 2 dogs in between calls so that I
really was good company. He also has family in Harrisburg so he was thinking of
swinging by on the way back north. We shared stories, discussed the recent
snow, the worst times of year for car batteries,
the frustration of unreliable colleagues, etc. and then we parted ways, never
to cross paths again. However, for 90 minutes of one Thanksgiving, I trusted
him to provide me with the one thing I needed: transportation, and he trusted
me to provide him with something too: entertainment. Well, and a commission :-)
Yes, I have to say that although I’ve missed my
family dearly, a day of solitude also provides an opportunity to really reflect
on the concept of gratitude and the multitude of people and things I have to be
grateful for today. So in no particular order, here is what I’m thankful for on
this most unique of Thanksgivings:
2) Guardian Angels: If you could see
the front axle and tires right now, it’s just not pretty. Considering I was on
Interstate 78 going about 65 miles an hour at the time, it’s a wonder all I had
to do was pull over. Therefore, today I’m grateful to God and whatever guardian
angels were with me today keeping me safe, and also the ones last weekend who
ensured this didn’t happen while I was driving 3 students back from Ocean City
with me.
3) Angels on Earth: There has been quite an uproar on social media lately about stores
opening on Thanksgiving night and employees having to work. Now, I do not
disagree with this sentiment one bit; stores should under no circumstances be
open until tomorrow morning. However, what about the countless people who work
every Thanksgiving? I mean the nurses, doctors, police officers, firefighters,
EMTs, tow truck drivers, flight attendants, pilots, bus drivers, train
conductors, soldiers, etc. of the world who work each and every Thanksgiving,
keeping us safe and making sure we get where we need to go. There’s no uproar
to keep them home…because we need them. Still, I don’t think they often get the
credit they deserve. So to those angels on Earth, thank you, from the bottom of
my heart.
4) Katie-safe
stuffing: My one contribution to tonight’s Burke family dinner table has
instead become my Thanksgiving feast. Thank goodness stuffing was always my favorite
dish at the meal anyway :-)
5) Technology: Using my school iPad, I was
able to Facetime into the Burke Family Thanksgiving festivities twice and make
the rounds, so in many ways I feel like I was there. I even ate some of my
stuffing as I chatted so I don’t feel like I ate Thanksgiving dinner alone.
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| The wonders of technology... still made my way around the Burke family living room |
6) Friends: I am very grateful to have amazing friends both
near and far. Friends to whom I can vent in texts, emails, and even Facebook
group messages. Friends that I can call on Thanksgiving morning for a rescue
ride from the repair shop. Friends who I know would welcome me with open arms
at their Thanksgiving dinner tables tonight, even though I probably couldn’t
eat a blessed thing on their table. Friends who lift me up in prayer when they
know there’s nothing else they can offer. If I do nothing else right in my life, I still consider myself successful when I look around at the amazing people I'm fortunate enough to call friends.
7) Family: As I’ve probably mentioned before, I have the
best family one could ask for. Granted, I know everyone says that, but I think
it’s true. Every person does have the best family FOR THEM. My family
graciously passed my face around the room and shared stories of the day, asked
how I was doing, understood completely that I couldn’t be with them today. And
now my mom is making the 4-hour trek to Baltimore tomorrow with all the
leftovers, and specially-ordered Katie-safe dessert, in tow. Again, I don’t know what I did to deserve
such a blessing, but I thank God for it today.
8) Love: Back in January, I deemed 2014 to be the Year of
Love. I had no idea how true that would become. Whether it’s because I was
intent on noticing it more or that it simply became a self-fulfilling prophecy,
I am simply amazed by the love which surrounds me each day. I left a school
where I was enveloped in love each and every day and joined a new one where I
have found more of the same. I work with teachers who meet for morning prayer
with me each week. I have students who question, ponder, and get excited about
faith, Christ, and Catholicism. I have colleagues who drop everything to drive
me to the ER and someone in my life who cares enough to also drop everything,
leave work, and drive an hour to sit by my side in the ever-entertaining
cubicle of an ER room. Yes, as the soon-to-be-viewed Christmas classic, says “If
you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll find that love actually is
all around.”
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| And who says High Schoolers aren't adorable?? |
So tonight, I’ll say good night to my first Thanksgiving
away from home. And though I won’t go as far as to say I’m OK with not having
made it there, I will say that given the situation at hand, today turned out
far better than I expected it to when I first heard the clunk and felt the
shaking steering wheel. After some deep breaths and a few whispers of the
Serenity Prayer, the day turned out all right.
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| Serenity Prayer (courtesy of youthworkerstoolbox.com) |
So wherever you are and however you’re celebrating tonight,
Happy Thanksgiving! If it’s your first with food allergies, I’ve been there…but
I promise, it’s not as bad as you think. You’re healthy, you’re happy, and you’re
surrounded in love. Enjoy the dwindling hours of this special day, and know
that I am lastly thankful for each and everyone of you who reads this. I truly
love writing and sharing my story, and when I get messages from you that a)
people actually read what I write and b) that sometimes it really helps
someone, well it means the world to me. So on this Thanksgiving in a special
way, I say thank YOU for being you. And please keep reading :-)
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| From my table to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!! |
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