Sharp in Greece

Now, for the important stuff…

It’s that time of year again folks and it is quickly approaching. For those who don’t know – specifically, all of Greece since you don’t celebrate it – Thursday is Thanksgiving! Personally my favorite holiday, this is the one day a year where we are allowed to ignore our annoying diets, the only thing acceptable to watch on T.V is football and John gets sent home with enough leftovers to feed himself along with another family for the next two weeks (exception, this year that will not be happening, sorry appetite). Sounds like a great holiday in my book but it seems I’m missing something from my list. Something that seems to be missing from everyone else’s list as well. Can you guess it? No, it’s not the sweet potatoes with marshmallows or pot full of greens, nor is it the breaking of the wishbone (something I look forward to every year). Okay if you haven’t guessed it, I was aiming at family! It seems to me – and maybe this Thanksgiving post just favors my personal experiences but I can imagine there are some people who share the same attitude – every year our families dispute on a variety of issues pertaining to the planning and build up to Thanksgiving Day. These complications include and are not limited to the following: Who’s cooking what? Who’s bringing the board/card games? Is your T.V big enough for the game? Whose house gets to play host? Who gets to clean up after all the hoodlums? Who’s coming? Oh, those people will be there? And as a result, the scrambling outcome typically one night before the big day is… Well I think our ‘family’ will just share our own Thanksgiving dinner at home because everyone isn’t happy on the final decision. While dissecting the preparation for Thanksgiving like it’s the Last Supper, our intentions and motivations get lost amid the unnecessary chaos. Instead of planning far ahead of time, we wait until the last moment in order to avoid the awkwardness associated with making decisions and sitting on them for a considerable amount of time, scared our final say might be challenged or altered by another’s interests. Rather than softening our hearts during a time of year that calls for us to give thanks – ‘hints the name’ – to everyone and everything who has ever meant anything to us, we decide to hold petty grudges and isolate our immediate family from the rest of the ‘family’. Whether that family is an in-law, distant cousin, great uncle or your own brother and sister no bitterness should replace the warmth and love that’s to be shared on Thanksgiving Day. This year change the way things operate. Start a new or add to an existing tradition. Open your hearts, smash the beef, kick the pride and invite those family members (or a complete stranger because this is about community more than anything else) who have been out of the picture for far too long. Damn, at the very least do it for the kids! I bet you’d rather share a meal on Thanksgiving than add to your already overpopulated Christmas list. No one really cares about whose bringing what or whose house gets to play host. If there’s a bird in the oven and football on T.V, I don’t care if you bring cereal (frosted flakes and cinnamon toast crunch please). As long as ‘family’ can come together in one place for one meal, I’d be a happy camper along with everyone else. So, until someone becomes the bigger man who wouldn’t mind taking the initiative as well as some humility along the way, continue to wrap everything your thankful for into that one big THANKS during the prayer prior to the dinner that isn’t being shared with the right people. In the meantime, you can always wait until John Sharp has his own place because you’re all invited! God Bless and HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all of my friends and family! And enjoy this video for a Thanksgiving shout out from yours truly...

ps: go donate a coat or that t-shirt you got to wear only once because it shrunk after the first wash