The 30 minute turkey bash.............

Buzzard
Buzzard Member Posts: 3,043 Member
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Here's the deal, you get to your favorite haunt to enjoy a delicious turkey dinner. All the trim mings are there, corn pudding, giblet gravy, dressing, corn, cranberry sauce, Tom turkey and all the rest of the desserts. We sit down after cooking all day, say a blessing, and then all heck breaks loose...its pass that and take this and try that and try this and gimme some more of that and man does that turkey have 3 drumsticks and how bout some pie and get me some coffee to go with my pie and in 30 minutes time after all the preparation for the meal it looks as though a large scale battle has been waged on your table and the food lost. So then everyone either slips out or goes to their favorite chair to sneak in a nap, or the kids all go out in the yard and play while all of the ladies stay in the kitchen cleaning up the remains of the battle ground.........
Let me ask each of you that have a family gathering that this year instead of having a 30 minute turkey bash...take another 30 minutes after the battle and maybe go around the table and talk about things that you are thankful for. Use this holiday to be thankful for the life you still have or to celebrate the memories of loved ones passed. Spend time at the table to talk about past memories or future ones. Just simply be thankful for being with them on this Turkey day tomorrow and let them all know it. I want to wish each and everyone a great 30 minute turkey bash, and many memories and great times afterwards......Buzzard

Comments

  • Julie 44
    Julie 44 Member Posts: 476 Member
    Happy bird day
    I so very much agree with you Buzzard....I just wish we could all hire someone to do all the cleaning up lol lol....Happy Thanksgiving to one and all....JULIE
  • coloCan
    coloCan Member Posts: 1,944 Member
    Great idea:I;m gonna take the time to tell my caregiver
    how thankful I am for her as I do not feel ,after undergoing what I have so far since this past June, I would be capable of living and taking care of myself in my own apartment, no way.Besides having to take care of her needs she;s taking excellent care of me,going with me to all my treatments (except those few times she couldn't change her own vital appointments)
    As she often says to me :"When I look at you suffering, I'm suffering"
    So to my girlfriend Maryann, saying THANK YOU is not enough, you're keeping me going.

    And to all the other caregivers out there also doing a wonderful, life saving job, THANK YOU to from one who appreciates.....

    And finally THANK YOU to all of you who's postings have enlightened, amused, informed,inspired, motivated and helped keep me going too when there was really no where else to turn to for advice or commiseration,as most doctors have not lived thru what we all have. Thank you members of the semi-colon world.......
  • tootsie1
    tootsie1 Member Posts: 5,044 Member
    Great idea!
    I so agree with you, Buzz. A few years ago (before cancer came into my life), we were blessed to have all our family here at our house for Thanksgiving. I made a little card for each person and wrote on it one thing about them that was a blessing to me.

    *hugs*
    Gail
  • dorookie
    dorookie Member Posts: 1,731 Member
    I second that
    except the part where the WOMEN are in the kitchen cleaning, why did you have to go there Buzz??? LOL I say lets change the story and have the MEN in the kitchen cleaning...Just food for thought...

    God Bless All
    Beth
  • minibull
    minibull Member Posts: 56 Member
    THOSE OF WORDS OF WISDOM
    BC (before cancer) Thanksgiving was really all about food and ha-ha times. Boy, does cancer change your mind set. Now the food is immaterial. I'm just so thankful that my family is well and I can still be here with them body and spirit. I'm so thankful that they love me and want me to be in their lives. It doesn't matter if I'm just eating a sandwich - the important food for me is my love and appreciation of this thing called LIFE.

    Laureen
  • Sundanceh
    Sundanceh Member Posts: 4,392 Member
    minibull said:

    THOSE OF WORDS OF WISDOM
    BC (before cancer) Thanksgiving was really all about food and ha-ha times. Boy, does cancer change your mind set. Now the food is immaterial. I'm just so thankful that my family is well and I can still be here with them body and spirit. I'm so thankful that they love me and want me to be in their lives. It doesn't matter if I'm just eating a sandwich - the important food for me is my love and appreciation of this thing called LIFE.

    Laureen

    You've Got It
    Well, Laureen

    In reading your post, I'd say that YOU have "got it." You have figured it out and you are right on with your feelings.

    A leftover BBQ sandwich would have been OK with me today - but a neighbor invited us over to eat with them, so we're going over as that was nice of them to do.

    But as you said, I'd be ok with anything, because it's not the food that matters, it's being able to connect and appreciate with what you already have - that's the blessing.

    I know for myself to still be standing upright 5+ years after Dx is the real blessing to me - things were so different at different times of the journey.

    So I just wish for Peace and Happiness for everyone and that their days and all that it entails and brings to each and everyone is enjoyable and memorable.

    I'll get out of here on that note...take care and all the best :)

    -Craig
  • Sundanceh
    Sundanceh Member Posts: 4,392 Member
    Here's my T'Day Bash to You :)
    Happy Thanksgiving, Clift!

    Just wanted to reach out and say hello - I know things are going well for you and I know you will be enjoying your day to the fullest.

    I know everyone here in Our World is grateful and blessed to wake up this morning and spend the day in whatever fashion or plans that each household has planned out - so many stories being told today I'm sure.

    I keep everyone in my heart today and am so thankful for each of you and that you are all here in this place of time to be able to share and enjoy this holiday with the people in your lives.

    Well, Buzzard...I'll let you go, but remember "we got a lot of BSn to do, right?" I look forward to that as each day I'm trying to get better and rejoin the group - thank you for the Post that you opened for me (I had wanted to mention that) and thanks for your responses on others.

    Now, let's hope the Cowboys don't play too bad today :)

    Sundance/Craig
  • VickiCO
    VickiCO Member Posts: 917
    We do that every year
    It was just an automatic thing we did, before cancer and before my grandson's issues. Everyone, even the little one's had to state something they were thankful for. Honestly, we kind of rushed through it. This year we are celebrating today (Friday) instead of yesterday and I plan to take extra care with my turn. There is so much to be thankful for and I want to cover it all.

    Many hugs, Vicki
  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    Clift
    We pretty much did that this year. When we sat down to have the organic, free range, home-schooled turkey, my sister in law had everyone fill out a card that had their name on it and write what they are thankful for. Then, during desert we all picked one out of the bag and read it and had to guess who wrote it. It was fun to see who wrote what. This years things just overall seemed more relaxed than previous years. Much more enjoyable this way. We also didn't see any sparks flying from the silverware shoveling the food down.

    We also discussed Christmas and what we were doing gift wise. Many of us are getting by but we do not enjoy a huge buffer of cash. We often do not exchange gifts for the grownups but since there are little ones (9-16) on that side of the family we usually give toys or whatever for them. This year though, my sister in law had what most of us thought was a great idea (of course there is always at least one who will disagree with anything and everything). Instead of giving a toy to the kids, who really need nothing - they all do OK, we are going to make a donation in the child's name to a charity of our choice and then give the kid a certificate that explains where the money went to and how it helped others who are not as fortunate as we are. I know it may sound mean to some, Christmas is a kid's holiday in my opinion as far as toys go. It's more about family to me. But I feel that if Griffin can see that instead of the $20 for the one toy that he doesn't need, an entire family in another country can not have to go to bed hungry every night for 6 months because of the gift that he gave, I know that it will give him a better sense of the world and how lucky we are to live where we do and that we have a house and food, etc. He already does have some sense of it because whenever we shop I pick up extra items, even 1 or 2 if that's all we can swing that week, and the company I work for helps support a local food bank.

    So, that is what we are doing for part of our holiday celebration. The boys will get plenty of gifts/toys but hopefully he will know that he gave a great gift to total strangers that will help make their life a little better.

    I hope everyone had a very Happy Thanksgiving.
    -p
  • tiny one
    tiny one Member Posts: 465 Member
    turkey day
    While I was eating my Thanksgiving dinner, I was thinking about my son who is in Iraq. He was able to call and talk to all of us. He put in for emergency leave, his wife's sister's cancer has come back. They said yes he could come home early but it would be alot less pay. He is due to be home before the Super bowl. He is electing to stay. Just had my checkup, they said I'm NED. I say I'm cancer free.
  • Buzzard
    Buzzard Member Posts: 3,043 Member
    tiny one said:

    turkey day
    While I was eating my Thanksgiving dinner, I was thinking about my son who is in Iraq. He was able to call and talk to all of us. He put in for emergency leave, his wife's sister's cancer has come back. They said yes he could come home early but it would be alot less pay. He is due to be home before the Super bowl. He is electing to stay. Just had my checkup, they said I'm NED. I say I'm cancer free.

    Phil....
    Your families election to do for someone else will go a lot farther with your children than a toy will. That was a great work of affection for another kid or family and it leaves me speechless.....Nice gesture bud and I hope you had a great Turkey Bash also......Buzz
  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    Buzzard said:

    Phil....
    Your families election to do for someone else will go a lot farther with your children than a toy will. That was a great work of affection for another kid or family and it leaves me speechless.....Nice gesture bud and I hope you had a great Turkey Bash also......Buzz

    It Wasn't Unanimous Buzz
    Thanks Buzz,
    My sister in law thought of it and while we thought it was fantastic, there was of course some balking (from a "grownup") about it. The funny thing is that it was from the family where the kids want for NOTHING at all. They are spoiled rotten. I think that they could benefit the most from this and wouldn't miss the crappy toy anyway (but who the hell am I?? I am not their parent, only their wacky Uncle).

    At first Grif wasn't like "Yippee, this is the bestest idea ever!!!" He's 9 and likes toys like I did at his age. Last night I had a great talk with him. When I was asking Grif what he wanted for dinner, yeah - I do the cooking because I can cook - (turkey, pizza, chicken) I reminded him that by giving up this one gift, people who are deciding between eating a rock or a brick might actually have something to eat. His eyes lit up a bit and I felt that he got it. I'm not laying a guilt trip on him, just trying to give his a sense of the entire world and his (our) responsibility to help others instead of the "me, me, me" mentality of many Americans.

    At times I really think that cancer is great! OK, before you wonder just HOW much I smoked this morning (none BTW), cancer just has really made me more aware of the Big Picture that I already was. Sure, I wanted to Save the Whales and Stop Destroying Trees and other commonly "liberal type" missions. I had a sense of where I fit in on the planet and would give to causes I felt strongly about as far as helping people went, but I'm lucky as hell to be alive. Many people are not as lucky or if they are alive, they are homeless or they could be in Africa and are starving due to wars or famines. Many times not because they are druggies or drunks but they had a stream of bad luck. I also realize that by living paycheck to paycheck (as we do) that there isn't too much separating us. So, that is what I mean about cancer being great. I notice that all of you seem to have this similar sense of how lucky we are. I know at times we may not feel particularly lucky but we all know while things could be better, each of us could have it worse too.

    I do not want to dictate to anyone what they should do to celebrate the holidays but maybe give the idea my sister in law (Laraine) had for one kid in your family or on your gift list who is around 10-16 and help them feel a "different" meaning of what it is to give a gift to someone. It could help shape them into even better people that they will be when they get older and become the "deciders" for our country.
    OK, maybe not the best way to phrase that....

    I do realize that many of you are involved with religious/church organizations and they more than likely do help out others and "get it" as far as part of the meaning of the holidays so you are way ahead of me on this. I don't want to come off like I came up with the idea of giving, I certainly did not.

    PS: We are also sending "E-Cards" for Christmas, no paper.
    More trees for us liberals to hug!
    ;-)

    One site with alternative gift ideas