The Best Thanksgiving

[madamesilverspurs]

My brother was in the Navy and out of the country at Thanksgiving, so I invited his wife and son to my place for turkey and trimmings. I also invited my friend, Jerry, and his two sons. It promised to be a lively afternoon with three boys under the age of eight. On their way to my place, Jerry asked his boys to be understanding of my nephew who has hemiplegic cerebral palsy and that he sometimes just falls down. They took this information in, then moved on to important stuff like mashed potatoes and gravy.

After dinner and before pie, the grownups enjoyed some coffee while the boys went to play in the yard. As we watched them play, my nephew eventually did stumble and fall. Without a second of hesitation, Jerry's boys also "fell down." All three of them just rolled around in the leaves, laughing and having a grand time. And I stood at the window with tears streaming down my face.

Without knowing it, those boys gave me a very sweet gift - the reaffirmation that goodness is born in us. Compassion is innate, until cynicism erodes it or the selfishness of others shames it into hiding. We're born with the right to extend a helping hand to someone who needs it; we aren't born with any obligation to demand some sort of quid pro quo.

They also gave me the determination to reclaim my right to give a damn, to do what's needed with or without anyone else's approval, to be "a part of" instead of "apart from."

In exchange I gave them turkey, pumpkin pie with extra whipped cream, and hugs. Lots and lots of hugs.



Twenty-five years later it's still my all-time favorite Thanksgiving. Because it gave me back part of my soul. And the boys? One went into the Air Force and served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and came home and got married and is now the father of his own small son. The other works with his dad and also does volunteer work with substance abusers in recovery. And my nephew has exceeded all expectations: still unable to read or write the way you and I do, he graduated high school and took specialized college classes to learn how to help CNAs in nursing facilities. He's also a very popular actor in community theater.

[Lex]

1. So beautiful. Thank you.

Rec'd.

[elleng]

2. Thank you.

.

[proud patriot]

3. I have a 12 yr old with bi polar

This was just a beautiful story , thanks for sharing it .

[bkkyosemite]

4. Now that's a true Thanksgiving

[tularetom]

5. Stop posting this kind of thing. You're destroying my crabby old bastard self image

That's the nicest thing I've read in a long time.

:hi:

[NMDemDist2]

6. off to the Greatest with ya

*sniff*

and that's quite enough of that, ya hear?


:hide:














:rofl: and thanks!

[Tangerine LaBamba]

7. That's maybe the best Thanksgiving story ever

Thanks for telling it, and thanks for reminding us all of what the true Thanksgiving spirit really is.

What great kids. What absolutely beautiful kids.

There's hope.

Happy Thanksgiving.

:toast:

[Berry Cool]

8. Sometimes the best stories aren't fiction.

Thanks for sharing.

[Maraya1969]

9. Thank you. Brought a tear to my ear. Nice to hear of kids understanding in

in a way we adults rarely do.

[Lex]

10. kick

[Le Taz Hot]

11. K & R

*sniff*