Jeff’s Journal
By Jeff Whitaker
I can’t help it. Every time I hear The Thanksgiving Song by Ben Rector I well up with emotion. If you haven’t heard the song, do yourself a favor and look it up. Ben released the song in 2020 in the height of the pandemic. You’ll hear a reference to that in the last line of the song. I guess it’s my background in visual storytelling, but when I hear this song a flood of pictures fly through my mind. I see family around the table, Thanksgivings growing up and all the memories surrounding the day.
I remember the funny memories like the times I would help carve the turkey trying to do my best Julia Child impression in the process. It was the same “shtick” each year, but I always made everyone laugh. I remember as a child on Thanksgiving morning gathering around the television switching back and forth between the Gimbel’s parade in Philadelphia and the Macy’s parade in New York City. My sister and I would watch the floats, listen to the bands and get excited to see the arrival of Santa which signaled the start of the Christmas season. All the while, we would take in the distinct aromas of Thanksgiving dinner coming from the kitchen. Even to this day, I find myself shouting out to whomever will listen, “Here comes Santa. Santa’s arrival is next in the parade!”
One of my most vivid memories of Thanksgiving was really not that long ago, about seven or eight years ago. We invited both my wife’s and my side of the family for dinner. After dinner and dessert, we decided we would pass around paper and pen to each person and ask them to write something or someone they were thankful for that year. When they were done, we gathered up the papers and hung them on some twine I strung on the mantle over the fireplace. When everyone had left, the dishes were done and we settled down to rest, I went over to the fireplace and began to read what everyone was thankful for. The one answer that stood out to me was also the most simple and least amount of words. It was written by my near 90 year old uncle about my aunt. My uncle was a man of few words and what he had penned was in keeping with that. He simply wrote, “I’m thankful for Louise.” That was all. Nothing fancy, but I knew it was truly heartfelt. Both my aunt and uncle have since passed away as have others who sat around that Thanksgiving table. But the memory I cling to each Thanksgiving is the notion that it doesn’t take a lot to say a lot. And as you gather around the table this year, don’t let the day pass away without drinking in the faces, the conversations and the moments you get to share.
What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving Day? To borrow a phrase from Ben Rectors song,
“… the older that I get I see that life is short and bittersweet. I Thank God for this Thanksgiving Day.”
Jeff Whitaker is a veteran broadcaster here in South Jersey. He now draws on his experience and training to work with companies and individuals to develop effective storytelling, communications and leadership skills. Find free resources and ways Jeff can work with you at jeffwhitaker.com
