We celebrated Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday, again this year at Soundcliff (the house where Gordon and I live), as I have every year since I moved here in 1989. (Except the year that the house was under reconstruction, when we moved our ceremonies to James Broughton and Joel Singer’s house in Port Townsend, WA.)
As usual, we began at 1 p.m. and ended the Thanksgiving feast around 10 p.m. Before, during, and after the courses (everyone brought a course), people hiked, read poetry, asked questions.
Thanksgivers: Michael Hathaway, Chris Young, Shawn Boley, Whitney Kimball, Malcolm Dorn, Gordon/Belle, Orlando, Tom Pruiksma, David Mielke, Sequoia
Two poems were written for this occasion which I’d like to share. The first, our invocation, from Tom Pruiksma:
The Big Joy
for Stephen
I want
on this day
as they say
of thanksgiving
to give thanks
for love
and for joy
too little of either
in the world
that we’ve made
the world
that covers up
the world
but the joy
that we name
is not the joy
that we know
always
just beyond words
always beyond
what the eyes
can see
what a tongue
with practice
can say
like our friend
the little frog
outside the door
or perhaps
a little inside
the way we go out
or even
between walls
between worlds
his song
keeps our hearts singing
in spite of the new darkness
and descent
of the year
the fear
we won’t make it
this time
all fears
are really fears
of loving
and being loved
are fears
of getting the gift whole
no light
without darkness
and the terrors of seeing
no sight
without sunshine
in the eyes
listen
do you hear
what I say
no sorrow
without its own joy
say one
and the other is
even
in the saying
even
sailing out
from hearth
and from home
even
in the silence
before dawn
health demands more
than a little sorrow
or a little joy
a big sorrow
big enough
for big joy
big joy
a big joy
big enough for sorrow
the freedom
of the frog’s
lone song
and so
today
between past and
tomorrow
I give thanks
for the sorrow
that completes the big joy
the great sorrow
and great joy
beyond words
-- Thomas H. Pruiksma
11/26/2009
Orlando chats with Gordon and Michael as dishes are prepared
We had already had our first course, prepared by Whitney and Shawn, Michael and Stephen:
Bruscetta with avocado, sundried tomato, black bean garlic sauce
Guava chutney on pear slices
Salt and pepper almonds
*
Earth Root Harvest soup with roasted vegetables atop (David & Tom)
*
Green Tea Kombucha (Tom)
*
Jefferson County green salad with dressing, goodies & tomatoes (Malcolm)
*
Free Range turkey with golden dressing (Gordon/Belle)
Yams (Chris)
Brussels sprouts with bacon, cream and pine nuts (Malcolm)
Candied carrots (Shawn)
Gravy (Chris)
Guava chutney (Michael)
*
Water Kefir (Tom)
*
pumpkin pie (Whit)
marionberry pie (Whit)
pumpkin cake (Shawn)
lemon chiffon sparkling pudding (Michael)
*
After-dinner drinks (Gordon)
During the feast, some questions were put to the group:
· What do you remember about your childhood for which you are grateful?
· What’s your vision or dream for the future, and what are you going to do about it in the next year?
Friday's beach walk allowed us to mull over important questions with Puget Sound
On Friday morning, over Danish Ebelskivers, I read my Thanksgiving Poem:
Thanks and no thanks.
Thanks for aliveness that keeps us alive
Thanks for the ripeness that plumps us and pumps us
Thanks for the bounty of earth water fire
Thanks for the brotherhood burning inside us
Thanks for the questions that quest us inside
Thanks for the music that sings us
Thanks for the motions that speak when words don’t
Thanks for the food that sustains us
Thanks for the courage to go deep and wide
Thanks for the knowing to trust
Thanks for the fears we can carry inside
Thanks for the urges to thrust
Thanks for the wisdom that comes from together
Thanks for the palpable air
Thanks for the wealth of creation and loss
Thanks for the power to breathe
No thanks for the limits of kindness and patience
No thanks for the lack of good ears
No thanks for the eight years of Cheney and Bush
No thanks for the mongers of fear
No thanks for the shortness of days and of breath
No thanks for the corporate greed
No thanks for forgetting our gifts and our health
No thanks for blindness to need
No thanks for overpackaging
No thanks for undermining
No thanks for pollution
No thanks for silence on things that matter
