Thanksgiving Plate

It's only taken me 22 days to finally sit down and think about what I'm thankful for. Everyday in November I see where people have posted that they are thankful for everything from bendy straws to electricity. Let's face it, bendy straws are freakn awesome! It kind of disturbed me that I should have to really sit down and think about what I'm thankful for. Have I finally succumb to the depression that threatens my existence due to my current status in life? No, I just have some serious attention deficit disorder so getting me to sit still and focus is the issue here. Oh look something shiny..
So I'll start off with the basics. I'm thankful for air, food, water- water that's mixed with hot chocolate. Hey if people can be thankful for bendy straws, then I get hot chocolate. I'm also thankful for strong, positive female role models like Harriet Tubman, Hillary Clinton, and Mannila Walker. You know that Dr. Seuss quote: 'To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world' - well that quote is kind of fitting to describe Mannila Walker.
Mannila was a soft-spoken woman of very meager means. At 44yrs old she had five children and a deceased husband; thus she had a cow and worked the ground to provide for her family. Everyday was a struggle but her children knew they were loved first and foremost. Clothes were made of feed sacks and lunches consisted of potato biscuits. Sweets and any extras were practically unheard of but it was one of the children's birthdays and she wanted to be able to make him a cake. She would need to walk at least 5 miles to get to the closest store. It was February 18th, 1960 in Boone, NC.
Mannila was successful in her journey to the store after the local postman saw her and offered a ride into town. After purchasing her groceries along with the coveted sugar and flour, she proceeded on her trek back home. The weather began to turn and that date would begin the Blizzard of 1960, one of the worst storms ever to hit the high country in history. It was three days later that her son saw a piece of Mannila's dress flapping in the wind exactly 100 yards from her front door. They would find the sack of groceries hid under a rock overhang for safe keeping. The children would be sent to an orphanage, never adopted out. The oldest girl would eventually run away at 17 only to return married so she could retrieve her siblings. A true testament to the determination that had been instilled in her by Mannila.
That oldest girl is now my mother-in-law and while she sits at the head of my Thanksgiving table, we have an empty plate at the other end. That plate represents Mannila's place. It serves as a reminder of the love that a woman had for her children. A woman who made the ultimate sacrifice in an act of trying to provide for her family. It is a symbol that maybe family is what we are most thankful for on Thanksgiving and every day.      

blanket

The other day a friend of mine was in the hospital having a colonoscopy/polyp removal procedure. Now it all sounded pretty crappy so I decided I would go to the hospital as well to offer moral support even though I really have no morals. Truthfully I was just hoping to score some of that hospital jello! My friend has a family history of cancer and these visits in particular are somewhat more taxing for her. So what better than to have me there, a klutz, that will hopefully not trip over her IV or unplug anything important? Forget about having white-coat syndrome, just make sure Char doesn't doodle on the medical chart or press any shiny buttons. In my defense I really did think that chain hanging in the bathroom was a way to flush the toilet -irregardless if it had the words Emergency Only on it. Hey, I've seen what goes in a commode and believe me sometimes it could constitute an emergency. In all seriousness, I was there because at one point in my life this particular friend was an extremely important part of my life. She was like a big brother to me and we were inseparable. Unfortunately last year we had a misunderstanding which caused a falling out of sorts between us. I've been told that I have a way with words, but it was my words in this instance that helped fuel the flame of indifference between us. Things are now somewhat awkward and even tense between us, but not only do I believe in forgiveness, I believe in owning up to being an idiot. And even though we both played a role in the rift, I wasn't going to let heavy air and unsaid apologies outweigh my being there for her procedure.
My friend was scheduled to be there at 7:45am and I'm not sure who had the worst end of that deal- her for having to be violated that early in the morning, or the doctor for having that be his early morning view. I know we've all worked with assholes, but this is... Anyway I'm certain that someone with an ist in their name realized that hospitals must be the exact temperature as Siberia in January due to some scientific reason for killing germs and all. However, why then do I usually get sick after visiting a hospital? But I'm not a scientist so anyway it was cold in there. My friend made it through her procedure just fine and while waiting for her discharge instructions, she looked over at my frozen self and then proceeded to take off her blanket and throw it at me. Now my rear-end has always been an "exit-only" portal (but I don't judge those that can find pleasure in that orifice) so I can't even begin to imagine the discomfort she was in and then couple that with her only having a hospital gown on in sub-zero temps. She just looked at me and said "take my blanket." I was dumbfounded. Here I am, we barely even talk anymore and you are giving me your blanket! Mark your calendars because I was speechless - which would've helped a year ago. I could not fathom why she would do this for me, clearly the morphine had not worn off. But no, she was lucid and there I sat with what felt like more than just a blanket around me- it felt a lot like love, and maybe even forgiveness.