IT'S THANKSGIVING

 

It's Thanksgiving. One of my favorite holidays. When I was a young teenager, Thanksgiving Day was the beginning of rabbit hunting season. We would get up early and head out to the fields looking for the elusive bunnies. We were often successful and had to get back home, dress our rabbits, get cleaned up and head for grandma's house to join the feast. And what a feast it was.

 

There was always turkey and ham. All the aunts brought their best recipes. The dessert table was a beautiful sight. There were pies, especially pecan, cakes of every kind. Oh, and banana pudding. In your wildest dreams you could not imagine a more elaborate meal spread. I remember the cousins would run our legs off so we could fit more food in. Those were great memories. 

 

As I grew older and had a family of my own, we tried to continue the traditions of our childhoods. Fortunately for the rabbits, that didn't include shooting innocent bunnies. But the food, the feast, was definitely a big part of that tradition. 

 

I have fond memories of many Thanksgiving days. Those memories should be about thankfulness but they are mostly about food. And, one of the great treats of the day are the smells. There is something about the aroma of turkey and stuffing in the oven that makes the day even more special. 

 

One year my wife and I decided to go out for Thanksgiving. It just wasn't the same. My house didn't smell like Thanksgiving. Oh, and the final straw, turkey sandwiches. I know you can buy turkey at any deli in any grocery store, but, it's just not the same. I'm sure everybody has their favorite way of making a turkey sandwich. I sure do and deli turkey won't get it done.

 

This year we will again prepare the feast. And we will enjoy it all. But, this year I promise to spend more time being thankful. Thankful for my health, thankful for my loving wife and family, and thankful for yet another wonderful holiday with them. We are all so blessed and we should never forget where those blessings come from. For me and my house we are thankful to God for it all.

 

Happy Thanksgiving

Ron 2023

 

VETERANS DAY 2023

 

November 11 is Veterans Day. We set aside two days each year to celebrate our veterans. Memorial Day is primarily dedicated to fallen veterans while Veterans Day is dedicated to celebrating all veterans of military service. 

 

I, along with many others in my age group, am a veteran. When I was a teenager the draft was a very real probability. So, you either joined or you got drafted. There was no particular patriotism involved with my joining. I joined to keep from being drafted. 

 

The rest of the story is joining the Army was the smartest thing I did as a youngster. I was a seventeen-year-old redneck country boy, with few to no options for a future. College was not a financial possibility for me or for people like me. 

 

So, here I was. Completely bewildered. The army fixed that. They gave me training. I learned things I never knew. I went from East Tennessee to Georgia, to Seattle, Washington, to my final duty station in Germany. I got to see the world. Had I not been in the service, I would never have been able to travel the world. Let me tell you, the world is a lot different from the hills in East Tennessee. It was all an eye opening experience for me. 

 

Now here many years later, I am truly grateful for my time in the Army. I went in as a kid and came out as a full grown man. Today I am enrolled in the VA healthcare system. It may not work for some, but it absolutely works for me. During my recent illness, they couldn't have been more helpful and generous. My every need was taken care of. 

 

I also have a VA loan on my home. That was handled with the utmost professionalism. We couldn't be happier. 

 

People often say to me, "Thank you for your service." My response continues to be, I got so much more from my time in the service than I gave. It is me who is grateful for all that the military has given me. 

 

Of course we don't have a draft now, but I wish we did. I guarantee you, young people would face the world a lot differently if we had a draft. I also recommend today's kids should join the military. You can play video games with real guns and you can contribute to the world. Sounds like a win win to me.

 

Something I read a few days ago is so true, who knows how many wars didn't happen because of the mighty peacetime military we have. Thank you, current service members and all veterans, for that powerful deterrent. And Happy Veterans Day.

 

Ron Scarbro November 7, 2023