A BOUNTY OF APPRECIATION

This won Honorable Mention In RAOK's Thanksgiving Contest

So much had transpired to test her faith over the past year, and Sherri wondered if she could push past those things and remember all she had to be thankful for. Her beloved mother lost to her several years ago, holidays just weren’t the same. But she had made a vow to her mother, had promised she would carry on the family traditions and take care of her father too, yet it was with a heavy heart that she placed the enormous turkey into the oven that morning. Tears slid down her cheeks as she hastened to prepare the cornbread stuffing and the chicken and dumplings her mother had always loved. Why? What was the purpose of putting on the façade that things were the same? These thoughts infiltrated her mind as she made the traditional Hawaiian salad with tears easing down her cheeks.

“Live on for me, sweetheart. Mother is here with you, and always will be. Now’s the time to remember all you have to be thankful for, honey, with a bounty of appreciation instead of a heart consumed with sorrow.”

Sherri heard the words of the woman she deemed as an Angel, yet saw no one there when glancing about the room. Still she knew her dear parent had been there, knew without a doubt that her mother had come to her and was right. The question remained though. Could she fulfill the vow made to her mother? Could she wear a pretentious mask and make her loved ones believe that she was happy when her heart ached so terribly?

“I’ll try, mom,” she whispered, as she opened the oven door to baste the turkey. “I’ll do my best to make you proud of me.”

True to her word, Sherri welcomed her guests with a smile that wasn’t felt within when they arrived later that day to celebrate the holiday. She wondered if she could live up to her mother’s expectations and be the beacon that lived on for her deceased parent as she watched her father carve the turkey and the others pile their plates high with the sumptuous victuals on the dining room table.

“Thank you Lord for the many things you’ve blessed us with,” her Father began the prayer, “for giving us this wonderful bounty and one another. Thank you for being here for us and for hearing our prayers. Amen.”

Toying with the food upon her plate, Sherri glanced at the others and tried to keep the unshed tears that burned her eyes in check. Her beautiful mother’s image suddenly sprang to mind to remind her just how much she had to be grateful for. A bounty of appreciation was felt within her heart when recalling that God had been kind enough to have blessed her with forty long years of love with her Mother and Father, how she had been fortunate enough to have shared such a deep-seated bond with her mother. How could she have let these wonderful things slip her mind for even an instant? There was so much to be thankful for, she mused. She and her mother had shared friendship along with the bond of mother and daughter. That alone was a blessing. Thanksgiving wasn’t just a day for feasting on turkey and other delicacies, but one when an individual praised God for all He had bestowed upon the world and in one’s life.

A smile, a genuine one, came to Sherri’s lips when she discovered that she had received many things to be grateful for throughout the passing years. A bounty of appreciation was owed to God today for those wonderful things, and she silently thanked Him for all he had given her. Not only would she burn brightly for her beloved mother, but she promised herself she would not forget her blessings ever again. Thanksgiving Day…one where the heart and mind lingered on the most cherished of things. What a sensational time of year!