This is a special day for me. It has been years since we gathered as a family at my parents’ home for a Thanksgiving feast, but that is a memory I hold dear.
No, this comes from something my mentor gave me.
When he was in collage, he had many good friends. Friends he kept until his death. When that first Thanksgiving came around, his friends went off to their families, and he went home to his. There was no feast for them. There was no celebration of thanks among those friends.
They took a look at the calendar and discovered that the second weekend in December would fall on the 10th. They decided to initiate the DEC-10 day.
This is, of course, a pun. The Digital Equipment Company manufactured the DEC-10 computer. The DEC-10 is the computer they were using. It is the computer which my mentor used to write BASIC for the local schools to use.
So today, the house is mostly empty, just the wife and I. The children arrive tomorrow. So there is no feast today.
That happens on Saturday.
We have Friendsgiving. This happens on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It is when we have all our friends over to enjoy each other’s company. It is a created family of sorts.
We will also invite acquaintances that might have had a lonely holiday. Making sure they are welcome too.
No matter where you are, which side of the political aisle you are on, please slow down, stop, and before you feast, give thanks for all you have.