Burger Week, college football and crisp apples: What are you thankful for, Macon?
I had a front-row seat to a majestic sunrise on the way to school one morning. Dawn tip-toed across the horizon, carrying a pallet of amazing colors. The world woke up to a symphony in the sky.
When I arrived on campus, I asked my students if they had noticed it.
Several not only saw it, they had captured it. (That made me proud.) Many took photographs from their backyards, the edges of their driveways and through the skylights in the school’s hallways.
A few weeks ago, a spectacular sunset was the star of the show. Dusk closed the curtains with a breathtaking tapestry of colorful clouds and filtered light. On social media that night, photos were posted from parking lots and football stadiums, across rural fields and lakes.
It wasn’t a sunset. It was a sermon.
Despite our differences, we all look at the same sky.
For the past 29 Thanksgivings, I have shared my blessings, both big and small, with the readers of these pages. It is for these things I am thankful.
For brick sidewalks and slate roofs. … For the Main Street Christmas Light Extravaganza on Poplar Street downtown. … For the smoky smells of tailgating on college football Saturdays. … For the wisdom of Charlie Brown … For big belly laughs and little giggles. … For energy when I have it and rest when I need it. …
That no matter how much some people try to change the rules, I can pull out my dad’s old tape measure and an inch is still an inch. … For summer mornings spent looking for shark teeth along the beach at Amelia Island. … For the legacy of Mr. Rogers. May we always keep searching for his neighborhood. … For “Old Town Road’’ and new car smells. … For the camellias and sasanquas blooming in our backyard. Even when the winter winds come sweeping through, it still looks like spring. …
For the eternal hope that maybe the Dawgs, Braves and Falcons one day will win a championship for more than a generation of loyal fans who deserve one. … For Paul and Alice Williams, who every March graciously bring Blossom the pink poodle to visit our school, where she is greeted like a rock star. … For Macon Burger Week, and the excitement it generates at local restaurants. … For coming up with reasons not to look at my phone. …
For the joy of three grandchildren, who keep me young and remind me I can’t move as gracefully as I once could. … For curiosity, sunscreen, honeybees, rocking chairs, mistletoe and good manners. … For faithful folks who fly their flags every day. … For honey crisp apples, Upwords, Christmas carols and finding matching socks in the drawer. … For ordinary people with extraordinary stories. … For David and Shirley Duncan and their “Hot Dog Club” ministry at Lake Wildwood. They are changing lives one bite at a time. …
For the young lady in my autobiography class who told me “I grew up reading you.’’ That was when I figured I officially was old enough to start writing my memoirs. (And I have.) … For train whistles in the night, one of the most comforting sounds on earth. ... For Tracy, our newspaper carrier who places our paper on the porch every morning. …
For unsung heroes and comeback kids. …For the swoosh of leaves beneath my feet. (As long as I don’t have to rake them.) ... For books on the shelves, a timeline and repository of when and what I have read. … For first responders, second chances, the rule of thirds and the four seasons. … For Sid’s Sandwich Shop and those clever signs on the marquee -- “text messaging’’ Macon motorists as they start to climb the hill at St. Paul. … For folks who still know how to change a tire and can tell time by the hands on a clock. …
For jokes I can remember and words to songs that somehow reappear, on cue, after all those years. … For strolls around the block – fresh air, exercise and “solvitur ambulando.’’ …. For a father’s Twitter post of his 8-year-old child’s written response to answering a problem on a math test. “First, I wrote out the problem like this (91-52) and then I answered the question and moved on with my life.’’…
For Delinda, Ed, Grant, Jake, Summer Sterling, Brewer, Sterling Gray, Ginny Pope, Mama Charlie and Papa Joel.
For absent friends and guardian angels. For all your blessings, too.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Ed Grisamore teaches journalism at Stratford Academy in Macon. His column appears on Sundays in The Telegraph.