28 Nov Thanks Giving and Receiving
Grandparents’s Day. HS senior year. November, 2019
A Day Most Special
One day every year we shelve complaints that our life is not designed to our specifications. On this day, we admit that, upon closer inspection, our life has been full of luck and miracles, more perhaps than we deserved. We call this day Thanksgiving – someone said that gratitude is the mother of all virtues.
But we are on the receiving side of thanks too.
Grandchildren’s Thank You
Name tag on Grandparents’s Day. Abbie’s HS senior year. November, 2012
When seven years ago my oldest grandchild asked me to come to the Grandparents’ Day at her high school I was bursting with pride. But my name tag, above, made it the greatest gift of all. She simply wasn’t sure of the spelling of my last name but that didn’t matter, it even cancelled out her upsettingly infrequent sightings on my horizon.
Side note: babushka is not a kerchief and the stress is on the first syllable, please.
Her twin-siblings knew how to spell my name but it didn’t diminish the worth of their thank-you gift on Grandparents’ Day this year.
Name tag on Grandparents’s Day. Zoe’s HS senior year. November, 2019
Name tag on Grandparents’s Day. Jacob’s HS senior year. November, 2019
Gratified to be wrinkle-free, limb-strong, and in command of the latest version of teenage vocabulary (if you could call it that), their class patiently paraded their way-too-slow-moving and naïve ancestors.
.
.
Receiving their thanks was… well, as gratifying as giving thanks – the former does not come without a lot of the latter.
You Must Thank Me and I Deserve It
Last year we brought two plays based on my family story to Chicago. It was an unqualified success. “Babushka, we haven’t blinked once” was the most important thank-you from the most important part of the audience, my grandchildren.
At curtain time of one of the performances someone shouted out: “Thank you for telling my story!” So many of you said that to me and encouraged us to produce in other cities. You helped, donated, sponsored. Because, you said, this story resonates with your memories and should be shared with the younger generations so that they learn about and honor your experiences.
So, we are coming to New York and Providence, RI, in January 2020. Come to see the play, share the news with family and friends. And, whether you live in these cities or not, please donate: https://appledoesnotfall.com/plays/.
New York is a big deal. It is also not a small expense. Be assured that your thank you’s are appreciated and treasured.
Happy Thanks-giving! Happy Thanks-receiving!
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