Thanksgiving Regrets

[Sparky]

The family was gathered for Thanksgiving Dinner,
From Grandma and Grandpa to Grandbabies--
We were all there.
Grandma was cheerfully bustling about;
She put the turkey in early for Grandpa to take out.
While we stood and sat and milled all around
Chatting, catching up, with laughter and frowns,
Grandma ignored us as she fussed with the table,
Checking on dishes, seeming perfectly able.
What smells filled the air as our ready mouths watered,
Someone should have helped Grandma, I suppose,
But nobody bothered.
Finally the meal was all prepared;
We expressed our thanks for blessings we shared.
I took note of Grandma as she smiled at her crowd,
Winking contently, I knew she was proud.
But after many a gathering, I opened my eyes
And for the first time I realized
How grandma never was able to take part
In the visiting that took place by those close to her heart.
While we yakked and laughed, she was working away,
Preparing our feast every Thanksgiving Day.
And yet as we counted our blessings in prayer,
We forgot to mention one
That all of us shared:
Grandma who worked tirelessly with all she had to do,
With body so tired (which all of us knew);
Not one of us Thanksgiving revelers would
Offer a hand as we all know we should.
Thanksgivings have come and Thanksgivings have gone
And we never had to spend one of them alone.
Grandma cleaned and grandma baked,
Grandma prepared for grandma’s loves sake.
And when the dinner finally was done,
How quick we were to say “We’ve got to run”,
And grandma smiled and kissed us goodbye
With a look of love and pride in her eye
Then turned herself slowly away
To clean up the mess every Thanksgiving Day.

God forgive us for being so blind
Not to help Grandma thinking she wouldn’t mind.
Grandma is not here anymore
She long ago walked through Heaven’s door.
If now I or we could turn back the time,
This would be a very different rhyme.
By Barbara Aldrich

[mwzephyr]

Barbara, Thank you with touching us with your thoughts this season. Your poem is felt in the heart.
~Zep

[STAReye]

The joy of being with Grandma is truly wonderful to reminisce, especially on Thanksgiving. A beautiful write.

[Ron Atchison]

Thank you so much Barbara, for this lovely poem which made me remember my two grandmothers - cooking in the kitchen, while we waited patiently for someone to tell us to go wash our hands for dinner. Oh how I wish I had them here today so I could cook a meal for them.

[flyingrabbit]

Hi Barbara!
a simple yet meaningful poem!
if your grandma was still here with us, I'm sure she would be touched deeply by this piece of yours.

reading this, i wish i had some memories with my two grandmothers. they were gone when i was still too young to remember everything. one of them passed away when i was only 3 months old, and the other even passed away before i was born..

but i can dream about them through this beautiful poem
thanks for sharing it, Barbara!

regards,
melia