Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. Wow — where has this year gone? My grandmother Brown always said the older you get, the faster time goes. When I was young, I didn’t believe it. I couldn’t see it. But now, I see she was 100% right, as always.
I love Thanksgiving. I love what it means. I love the time spent with family and friends. I love the food — and so much more. Thanksgiving is a special time, and we all have so much to be thankful for and so many memories to hold close.
As I write this column, my wife and I are spending a few days in east Tennessee. Thanks to the kind and generous hospitality of a dear friend, we will be here for four days. The Smoky Mountains are beautiful and a constant reminder of the beauty God has created. My father-in-law is here with us, and we are thankful and appreciative to be here, especially at this time of year.
As usual at this time of year, I get reflective. Memories of Thanksgivings and holidays past flood my mind. We all are so very blessed, and we all have so much for which to be thankful. I know everyone who reads this column has many great memories of Thanksgiving.
For me, God has blessed me with a wonderful partner who has been in my life for more than 40 years. And when it seemed marriage would never happen for us, it happened. What a tremendous gift and special blessing from God. I get emotional when I talk about it, and even now, as I write this column, I am choking up. Blessings abound in my life, and they always have. I was raised by wonderful parents and in a wonderful family. Again, we all have so much for which to be thankful.
Thanksgiving should be a time when we give thanks for the many blessings God has bestowed upon us. Certainly this should not be the only time we give thanks, but we should definitely give thanks at Thanksgiving. I have two questions to ask: (1) What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? and (2) What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory? If you are like me, you probably count your blessings daily. And I am sure you have many fond memories of Thanksgiving from years gone by.
When I was growing up in the late 1960s and early 1970s, I remember the trips to Grandma’s house, both at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Traveling from Shreveport to visit family and friends in Minden (Mom) and Coushatta (Dad) is a big part of what I remember from my youth. All the great food, the wonderful desserts, the after-lunch naps, the football games and the fun-filled times visiting relatives are memories I truly cherish as the years quickly pass.
Back then, there were no computers or cellphones with instant communication or texting capabilities. There was no social media or instant chat capability to distract us. For the most part, all we had was each other. So the visiting, the meaningful conversations, the food, the games and the football were all so very special.
Over my almost 25 years in the newspaper and media business, I have made countless trips to our Minden office. Now, with me also having an office there, I find myself in Minden several times a week. Almost every time I am there, I drive by Grandma’s old house on Midland Street. That house is always top of mind when I travel to Minden. It’s the house where my mom and her sisters were raised, and it’s where my cousins and I had so many great times together as kids, both during the holidays and throughout the years.
I remember being in the living room of that house when I was 13, watching the Dallas Cowboys play their traditional Thanksgiving Day game in 1974 against Washington. With only 28 seconds left, Cowboys rookie Clint Longley — who had replaced an injured Roger Staubach — hit Drew Pearson on a left sideline “Hail Mary” 50-yard touchdown pass to win the game. I remember that moment like it was yesterday.
I am certain all of you have great memories of Thanksgivings and holidays past with family and friends, both from your youth and as you’ve grown older. To me, counting our blessings and remembering moments like these is the true meaning of Thanksgiving. And for sure, there are still many great times ahead and many new memories yet to be made.
I wish you and your family a very happy, blessed and bountiful Thanksgiving!
Randy Brown is Regional Publisher and Executive VP of Specht Newspapers, Inc.