I am here in Grandma Warner’s house in Nephi Utah. It is early Thanksgiving morning and everyone else is asleep. There are 11 of us in a 1000 square foot house. We hardly notice the lack of space. We fit comfortably together and we are enjoying the calm lifestyle of country living. What we do notice is that Great Grandma is not here with us. She passed away this past summer after living a remarkable life of service. She was 96 years old.
It is the first time that I have stayed at her home without her here. That means it is the first time that I have arrived here without some sort or ridiculously large meal waiting for us. No matter what time we arrived she was waiting for us with food. My mother-in-law Carolyn and I were talking about the food and Carolyn said it that she always waited in bed until she smelled the bacon cooking. As I thought about that I realized that I could not remember a morning here that I did not have bacon. No matter how many days I stayed I had bacon every morning.
She didn’t have much of stove to make it all happen on, but somehow she made it work. I am looking at the stove as I write this post. It is an old Frigidaire. You can see it in the attached photo. I am sure now more than ever that it is love that makes food taste so good and not the apparatus it is cooked on. We will cook our Thanksgiving dinner on it today. The stove outlived anyone's expectations, but it won't outlive the memories of Grandma. Life is good!
As I think of Grandma I can’t help but think about all of my ancestors. I feel very thankful for my heritage. I can remember some of my Great Grandparents, all of my Grandparents, some of Great Uncles and Aunts, all of my Uncles and Aunts and of Course my Mother and Father. From these great individuals I learned to be who I am. They taught me the lessons of life. From some I learned how to, and from others I learned how not to. I can say I have followed some of both types of lessons. None of my ancestors have been perfect, but all of them lived inspiring lives. Families have such a powerful influence in our lives. I was raised with a great one around me.
As I look at Grandma’s stove I also think about what my own legacy will be. There is a great quote from a Jewish Rabbi that inspires me when I consider my legacy and how I will live my wife. He was speaking to a group of seminary students when he asked, “Will we be the fathers and grandfathers of great men or merely the sons and grandsons of great men?” This quote inspires me to remember my duty to my posterity. I have benefited from the lives led by my ancestors and I must live a life that will benefit my children and their children. If I fail to do this, I fail to leave a legacy. My legacy will not be the gold or worldly wealth I leave behind. It will be the simple acts of service I perform, the values by which I live my life, and the memories I create by the combination of the two.
This is why it is so important for me to know who I am and to help other people know who they are. When I can elevate my unique self to the view of others I become more capable of making a connection with others. Those connections are what make life more full and rich for me. I am thankful for the connections that I made with my ancestors. Today I will connect with my seven children, my beloved wife and her parents in a very real and present way. I will also reach out to my own mother and my brothers and sisters as they express their thankfulness at another family gathering.
As I stood skipping stones on the banks of the Umpqua River in Canyonville Oregon one summer with my 14-year-old son we reminisced about the significance of that river and that particular spot on the river to our family. I asked, “Jacob, do you realize that your Great Great Grandfather, your Great Grandfather and your Grandmother all stood right here and skipped stones on this river?” He smiled and simply said, “Yep, and now it is my turn.” It is now my turn to dance. I am going to make the most of it.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Andrew Thorn
760-559-3548
athorn@telioscorp.com
