The Password

Growing up, I can recall our home phone ringing bright and early on Thanksgiving morning. Until I was 10 years old, my family lived in Massachusetts, while my grandparents and most other relatives all lived back in Michigan. Well, since we typically did not travel back "home" to Michigan for Turkey Day, my dad's parents -- in an effort to help us be a part of their Thanksgiving family gathering -- would ring our phone whenever the turkey went into the oven on Thanksgiving morning. (My dad can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the idea was that "ringing" the phone would not induce any long distance charges -- my, how times have changed...). This was back in the day before caller ID, of course, but there was never a question about who was on the other end of the phone line when it rang at 6 AM.

The tradition of the Thanksgiving AM telephone ring continued even after we moved back to Michigan in the mid-80's, and then I was eventually able to carry on the ritual myself. When Jackie and I were living out west away from family, I would "ring" my parents when we put our turkey in the oven. It was always something that brought a smile to my face -- knowing that my parents and I had this little holiday "inside secret"; when the phone rings once or twice on the fourth Thursday in November, both parties know what's going on -- no need for words to be exchanged.

Years have gone by, and my paternal grandparents are no longer alive, but the tradition continues. This morning, Thanksgiving 2008, my cell phone rang at 5:45 AM. Evidence of how times have changed, however, it wasn't actually a phone call, but a text message from my dad saying that the turkey had just been placed in the oven. We'll be joining them at their house (just 2 miles down the road) in a few hours for a wonderful thanksgiving feast.

(As another sign of the times, my phone rang again at 6:07 AM -- but this time, it wasn't a family member. A contact at one of my supplier contacts in Singapore had a problem with some paperwork that somebody in Lisbon was supposed to provide but didn't. I had the pleasure of shifting into "work mode" for an hour -- jumping into Outlook to send some urgent e-mail messages and such -- to get things resolved.)

Anyway, now it's time to move forward with the day. Rolls are "proofing" on the kitchen counter, waiting to get placed in the oven in a couple of hours. Jonathan is bouncing around the house, watching "Sid the Science Kid" on PBS while eating "Marshmallow Treasures" cereal (hey, it tastes almost as good as Lucky Charms, costs less, and as a bonus, there is a picture of an octopus on the box -- he loves 'em!). Jackie is sifting through the newspaper as we plan our strategery for whittling away at our Christmas shopping list on Black Friday. Our oldest (Jordan) and youngest (Jude) are still sleeping, leaving me with some time to enjoy my coffee and reflect on all that I am truly thankful for (quite a lot, actually).

Pretty soon our day will be filled with bustling about, getting ready to load up the minivan for our long journey over the river and through the woods to Grandma's house. (Technically, it's a 5-minute drive on suburban, paved streets -- no rivers will be crossed, and no woods will be traveled through. Oh, well.) My 94 year-old maternal grandmother is staying with my parents right now, so this will be the first Thanksgiving in a very long time that I've been able to spend with her. One of my sisters and her family will be there. The kitchen will be packed with food everywhere, the house will be filled with delightful holiday scents (I hear that my grandmother has made some of her famous pies), the house will be abuzz with little kids, the men will probably try to watch a little football at some point, but most of all there will be lots of laughter and lots of memories made -- along with the likely antics of Jude falling down, screaming to go outside, wanting to climb on the table, etc. (Hey, he's 17 months old, that's what he does!)

So as you each enjoy your Thanksgiving Day 2008 in your own special way, amidst the hustle and bustle of whatever it is you're going to be doing be sure to take some time to pause and truly give thanks. Perhaps this passage from The Message will help you out:

Psalm 100

1-2 On your feet now—applaud God! Bring a gift of laughter,
sing yourselves into his presence.

3 Know this: God is God, and God, God.
He made us; we didn't make him.
We're his people, his well-tended sheep.

4 Enter with the password: "Thank you!"
Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
Thank him. Worship him.

5 For God is sheer beauty,
all-generous in love,
loyal always and ever.