Little Peppermint Candies (and Other Blessings)

There are almost no words to express how blessed we have been this year, for which we are truly grateful.  I say “almost” because I always have words, of course.  However, as another Thanksgiving comes to an end, I thought I’d like to express my thanks for some of the smaller pleasures of the holiday as well:

Verizon Stores on Every Street Corner.  Like Starbucks and McDonald's, Verizon stores now grace every village in America.   This was fortuitous when my husband dropped his cell phone upon arriving at his parents’ house and shattered the screen.  The nearest Verizon store was practically within walking distance of my in-laws’ house.

On-the-Scene Reporting from Black Friday.  Mind you I wouldn't be caught dead shopping after midnight at any retail store on Black Friday (preferring as we do to spend the day in New York City, which is at least as crazy).  But thanks to Richard, my son’s childhood friend who is kind enough to let me be his Facebook Friend, I enjoyed wildly entertaining posts of his annual Black Friday shopping trip with his mother, complete with photos.

Little Peppermint Candies – When I returned from the restroom after lunch at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Market in Times Square, my face lit up and I actually squealed with excitement upon finding a whole handful of peppermint candies at my place setting.  I didn't even mind when my husband and son told me I had missed the Forrest Gump quiz the waiter gave them in my absence.   I don't actually like that movie, but this restaurant inspired by it is just dandy.

Our Dodge Caravan – This van has seen a lot of living in seven years, with its dings, scratches, and an electronic door on the right hand passenger side that's been broken for longer than it was functional.  However, it can hold lots of stuff (the reason we bought it in the first place) and seats six or seven people, which I appreciated again as we were traveling to Thanksgiving dinner with five people on board (and room to spare).

My Knees – Just like Pittsburgh, New York has lots of unavoidable steps. There were long flights of steps at the restaurant and the theater, and let me tell you that wild horses couldn't have kept me from the restrooms on the second floor of the McDonald’s after that extra-large cup of coffee I drank on the way into the city. But this time I navigated the steps without incident – my knees took a lickin' but kept on tickin'.

Third Generation Family Members – It is always a delight to catch up with “the kids”, who are all in their 20's and doing exciting things with their careers and starting relationships these days.  But they are also savvy users of technology who are happy to share their expertise with their older, slower relatives.  A heartfelt thanks to my young cousin Sarah for showing me how to upload pictures from my camera to Facebook, which I managed to do all by myself later (with only a little sweat and tears).

Words with Friends Bingos This actually falls into the “Thanksgiving miracle” category, but I used all the letters in my hand TWICE for a total of 153 points in a recent Words game with Scott, my most formidable Words opponent, and…wait for it…actually WON the game by a healthy 85 points!  I did not believe that I won until I saw the final score with my own eyes because Scott, who is a charming person in real life, has a way of coming from behind to win in the rare instances where he is not winning the game all along. 

It ain't over till it's over, and trust me, when I won, you probably heard this fat lady sing wherever you were.