By Lee Scott
November is my favorite month of the year. Not only do we celebrate Veterans Day but Thanksgiving too. It is also the month I was born so it has particular meaning to me. Each of these three Holidays all seem to stretch out over a week. First of all, Veterans Day is technically on November 11th. Most of the time this date falls on a weekday so many communities move their parades, golf tournaments and other events to the previous weekend or following weekend. That way you have plenty of time to say “Thank you” to a Vet. If you can’t find a Veteran, consider giving to one of the charities that support Vets. This past Sunday, in my community, we had numerous men and women putting up hundreds of flags along the main road. Seeing them out in the pouring rain doing their part to say “Thank you” was moving.
Then of course there is Thanksgiving- truly a wonderful event where families and friends come together to enjoy a meal. For those people that don’t have a place to go, there are many churches that offer a free Thanksgiving dinner where you can get good food and find lots of good companionship. This holiday is also stretched over several days because so many people have to travel to get to their turkey dinner. And anyone who has to cook a Thanksgiving dinner knows that the shopping and preparation are also outside of Thanksgiving Day.
Last is my birthday which is my own personal day of thanks. This celebration begins with a reminder on November 1, to my husband and my children that it is my birth month. I don’t expect expensive gifts, just acknowledgement that they are happy I was born. I used to put a countdown on my refrigerator for my birthday, but my husband says it is no longer needed as it is permanently embedded in his brain. Of course now as I have gotten older, the birthday cards of old ladies in bathing suits remind me how thankful I am for my hysterical friends.
But each of these November holidays are about being thankful. Thankful that we live in the United States, thankful that there are men and women willing to serve in the military, thankful that we have food to eat and family to love and thankful for another year of life.
