...life

In 2007 Betty King a native of the U.S, elaborately wrote on the subject of thanks giving from an American context, the thinking is applicable to all of us even those who have difficulties appreciating what or when winter will set in. When all is said and done are we ready to Thank God for all that has been?

This time of year, when leaves are changing from green to gold and red, drying and falling upon damp lawns, our thoughts and activities tend to also change. Even old memories that have lain dormant through summer and warm weather, surface again to warm us from the inside out.

When I feel the first chill in the air even my appetite longs for change. My taste buds desire large bowls of home made vegetable soup and simmering pots of chili. Beans and cornbread also call out for placement on my stovetop and oven. The oven does more than bake; it spreads warmth that makes kitchens cozy and memories linger.

Recollections of hayrides and blankets, snuggles and kisses travel through the passage ways of my mind. I can almost smell the scent of hay and hear the sound of horse's hoofs as I recall days of my youth.

Hot fires, and weenie roast, flaming marshmallows left charcoal crisp, and scary stories rush through my memory sweeping aside the humdrum of boredom and old age. Bobbing for apples, taffy pulls and fall festivals of the past all come to mind as summer's sun fades behind clouds for another year, taking with it part of our lives.

Fall comes with colors, scents and damp coolness, and coats and jackets make their appearance. I pause for a moment as I realize fall, too, will pass quickly, like the last couple of decades and I foresee winter peeping around the last falling leaves.

Thanksgiving Day brings with it the bounty of all that makes for family togetherness  – good food, thankfulness and love. I think back over this past year and see it as one of our families hardest and I wonder what the next year will bring.

I am sandwiched between my children and my parents and I see life ebbing its way along with the tide. I want to hold back the currant, stop the flow, put brakes on the years, and turn back the pages of time.

I look at my husband and realize we are standing in the middle of the winter of our lives. Where did the spring, summer and fall go? When did the years run past us? Where have all the flowers gone? When did the children grow up and move on with their lives, leaving us stranded knee deep in old age?

I no longer discourage my children from taking over my duties. Capabilities speak louder than desires. I welcome their offers to host annual events, yet I remember the work involved and I appreciate their efforts. No one knows better than I how time changes things and how it is sometimes impossible to hold on to anything but memories.

The grandchildren are tomorrows hope for a bright and colorful spring. The older grand-children are starting to plan their own lives, the last of the youngest starting school. I wonder what the future holds and know that someday they will speak of me as a memory. I want to tell them how short life will be when someday they stand where I stand and look back on where they have been.

I want to tell everyone to enjoy each season as it comes to you, savor it, and indulge yourself in its blessings, and remember to be thankful for all it brings to you. Absorb yourself in its colors, bask in its warmth, and be transformed by the wisdom it brings you.

When winter falls upon you unexpectedly, be prepared for a rude awakening. It will sneak upon you like a thief in the night and remind you of all that you have failed to  do. It will sing off key all the songs of your youth, and taunt you with memories of  spring.

Winter will point out the best and worst in life. Death that is eminent is always a thought that pesters you with its taunting in the daily obituaries. You will try to brush aside its malicious spitefulness but its whispers linger and the longing for summer, even fall, is dangled in front of you like yarn in front of a sleepy worn out cat.

All the resisting finally gives way as you rest in the arms of experience and acceptance leaving the future in the hands of those who will follow after you, allowing them to move on as you come to realize life will go on without you.

You then thank God that your plowing days of spring are over, and the weary days of summer are behind you, but you feel a tinge of regret when you realize there will be no more beautiful fall seasons; that's when you accept what winter will bring and thank God for all the season's of your life.

-betty king