Hand Turkeys

I can't stop thinking about hand turkeys this afternoon. You know, those turkeys you made in early elementary school; you traced your hand and transform it into a turkey, using your thumb as its head. In Catholic school, we had to write something we were thankful on each of the feathers. Even though I don't have my elementary masterpiece within my reach (although between my mom and I, I'm certain it's still in a closet somewhere), I think I could tell you with some degree of certainty what I wrote on my feathers: My family, Blackie (our dog), my friends, and my teachers (yes, I know that makes me sound like a totally brown-noser, but I always meant it in earnest; I loved school, and I LOVED my teachers). It sounds pretty cliche, right? Of course, that's what all the kids wrote. That's what you're *suppose* to be thankful for.

But in all honesty, I don't think that my hand turkey would be all that different if I made it today. In fact, here's what I would write:

Pinky: My Family

I would not be who I am today without them. There's no other way to say it. I grateful for their example, their advice, their love, their generosity, and their unfailing support. If I ever do get these 3 new initials after my name, it will only be because they were in my corner from the very beginning. I miss them all the time, and I'm so happy that I get to spend the next few days with them.

Ring Finger: Ben and Sully

Okay, yeah, laugh because Ben is getting the dog spot - what can you do? I am grateful for Ben and Sully for showing me the joys and challenges of caring for someone besides myself. They have taught me countless things about unconditional love and companionship. And nothing, nothing brings me more peace than when the three of us sit on the bed in the morning, laughing before our crazy days begin. (I'd also like to say that I'm still grateful for Blackie and, for that matter, Hershey.)

Middle Finger: My Friends

My friends are amazing. They are the most talented, intelligent, caring, and giving people I know. I've had the joy of making new friends this year, and I've had some of the most incredible reminders that even distance and time can't keep friends from supporting each during the hard times and celebrating the great times. I love them all as if they were family (and really, when you have as much family as I do, what's a few more people?).

Index Finger: My Teachers

Perhaps the greatest teacher in my life these days is my dissertation. I am grateful for the way it challenges me on a daily basis. I love the way it has opened up my view of the world. I'm thankful that through a series of happy accidents, it has brought all kinds of new "teachers" into my life. It has given me new experiences, the new colleagues, and the new friends that I could have never anticipated. It has taught me that following your bliss will not always be easy, but if you keep forging that path, there are times when the scenery will be absolutely breathtaking.

So, cliche? Perhaps. All this talk of support? Is that all too simple and trite? I might sound simple and trite, but after the past few years, I know that when it comes to love and support, nothing is simple or trite. And when you stop to think about it, isn't that what the whole metaphor of the hand turkey is about? The things we are grateful for are the things that hold us up, that comfort us, that care for us, that guide us, that connect us to one another - all those things that we do for each other with our hands.

So this Thanksgiving, when you lick those mashed potatoes off your finger, when you hold the hand of your all too grown up niece or nephew, when you give a round of high fives after that that amazing touchdown pass, when you fold your hands in a grateful prayer, think about what you would list on your hand turkey. What are the four seemingly simple, but oh so complex, things you could not live without?