Giving Thanks

I have always loved Thanksgiving.  I admit that one of the reasons is that I love turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, pumpkin pie, and cranberry sauce.  The fact that the day is filled with football doesn't hurt either.  Yet, when I look back at 68 years of Thanksgiving, what I really remember is family getting together and the warm feeling of being together.

The first memory of Thanksgiving was the drive we made from Fort Wayne to Fishers.  Grandpa Finch was the minister of a small church in what was the very small town of Fishers.  The parsonage was right next door to the church.  Across from the church and parsonage there is still an elementary school, but the church is no longer a Methodist church.  It is non-denominational.  The parsonage is in disrepair, and Fishers has been gobbled up by Indianapolis as part of its sprawling suburbs.

In those days, there was no I 69, so it was two lane roads that we traveled.  That was when I first noticed that my father never really minded finding "alternative" routes.  That is why I remember seeing Pendleton Correctional Facility on one of his routes.  I also remember the stories of family whom I had never met as we went through Marion, Fairmount, Elwood, Kokomo, and Noblesville.  Little did I realized then that I should have been paying more attention as I now continue the family tree research that my grandfathers started.

We celebrated Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving day with Grandma and Grandpa Finch.  My memories of that gathering started in Fishers and they moved to Fort Wayne. In my first memory,  I was probably 8, Annie was 6, Doug would have been 4, and Jack probably has no memories of this since he was just 2.  The memories that come back to me include the trip down singing all the songs that became a part of our repertoire on all trips with the exception of the seasonal "Over the River and Through the Woods" for obvious reasons.  Because we were the only grandchildren at the time, there were no toys at grandma and grandpa's. That year that I remember, our Aunt Marjorie fixed that by going to Indianapolis and buying a toy oven and shotgun.  That was it, but it didn't seem to matter to us, being with grandma and grandpa was enough.


The Sunday after Christmas was always with Grandma and Grandpa Morris.  Those were in mulitiple towns: Kokomo, Warsaw, Muncie, and Fort Wayne, depending on where the church sent Grandpa.  The Morris Thanksgiving was also sometimes the Morris Christmas depending on the schedules of may uncle, aunts, and our family.  No matter where grandpa was sent, the gatherings were a blast because my siblings and I had our cousins to play with as well, and because my aunt Becky was only a year older than me, she was a part of the fun.

I especially remember the house on West Drive in Fort Wayne.  In my memory it was a huge two story house with one of the best amenities ever - a playhouse attached to the garage!  It was a great place for all of us.  I don't remember really ever spending much time in the actual house except to eat.  A side note, one Thanksgiving we had a small problem when Jack decided to run-a-way in a neighborhood that he had no knowledge of.  No one really noticed until we saw him coming back.

As all of us got older, everything changed as it does in all families.  Our grandparents passed away, part of the family moved to the East Coast, more families were created as I and my cousins were married and had families.  That is when the Thanksgiving traditions changed and created even more family memories. 






When I think back to all of the Thanksgivings, at first I smile and even laugh.  The storytelling, playing canasta, Monopoly, and other games with the cousins, and seeing my own family grow and have families of there own - how in the world could I not be thankful.  Melancholy does set in as well.  I wish to have more time with those who have passed on - my grandparents, mom and dad,  and Michele's grandparents.  Yet, in sharing this, I hear them all over again.



So, thank you to the family members who are no longer with us, my brothers and sister, my aunts and uncles, Michele's family, and especially Michele, Kristin, Stephen, Tiffany, Spencer, Coen, Cali, Bailey, and Olivia.  (And JP in advance).  You have truly made my life blessed with wonderful memories.  Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!