Thanksgiving is my favorite day.

Today is November 25 2009. It is the night before Thanksgiving. 38 years ago, Thanksgiving fell on November 25 and, on that morning, in the middle of a snow storm, I was married in small chapel in an inner city hospital to a nurse, Diane, who had Thanksgiving off. As did I! As an orderly working his way through grad school during the early 70's, the world was a very different place...don't get me started. Diane and I had been dating since September...two months before we were married....six weeks after I proposed.

Tomorrow I'll carve a Turkey (with Diane's help) at my mom's house about seventy five miles from my home in NJ. Mom will be 95 in 2 weeks and lives in the house her dad built in 1920. We'll have 20 for dinner there with my sister, her children and grandchildren who all arrived from Chicago today. My children and grandchildren will also be at the table. Directly across the street my cousin, Rich, and his wife, Anne, will also have 20 for dinner. Down the street my cousins May and Patty will also have nearly 20 for dinner...each- as will another cousin, Chuck about 2 towns away.

ALL of us will wander from home to home from 4pm tomorrow til the wee hours on Friday and then do a tweet up in town Friday night (and, literally, take over a restaurant and bar on th spur of the moment.)

On other holidays many of us are finding ways to give back to others but Thanksgiving is the one holiday when our extended family numbering more than 100 celebrates the blessings of family.

May everyone give thanks for and celebrate their blessings tomorrow.

Warm regards.