THE DAY AFTER

      The day after. The turkey remains are huge, as usual, as everyone seems to prefer the other mains and sides, but what really was the day like. For us it was huge. It was gratifying.
     There sat 21 people, all over the entire house,  the younger generation claiming the basement and  game areas where evidently much was going on in the realm of comedy and fantasy worlds. The adults upstairs melded together, with our newly discovered cousins just fitting in so smoothly that one could never tell who was new to the family and who not. They tolerated the noise beautifully.
     But the meaning was far deeper than that. These cousins were the 'remnants', the descendants of Holocaust survivors, caught behind the Iron Curtain, cut off from the world, thinking they were alone, no other family members to share life. On the other side of the world was my grandmother, with her one area of despair, for she had no one let from her large family and extended members who had remained in Europe. So we grandchildren became her life, being named for disappeared, slaughtered family members, and the reminders of that family, of the times in Europe, would cause a sad cloud to pass over her face. She died never knowing that her cousin lived, along with his wife and two children.
     Well, yesterday was amazing and I could just imagine the glee up there, as reunions took place as my grandmother, my mother, my great grandmother, the whole extended clan ,were there, upstairs, watching as the family rejoined, and meshed so well. 
     In times such as we are living, it is good to spend time with people who love you, who keep you tethered to reality, to what is important, but, always a but, even here, even among all these loving people, we could not talk politics. The home was declared a politics free world, all so as to avoid the dissension and disunity caused by that man. I am still amazed how foolish and blind people are about him and his consequences, but I was certainly cheered up by the kids who could vote or will be able to by 2020, who came to me to reassure me they would be voting for NOT the person of despair but the person, whoever it might be, that would signal another chance for us, for the country. Ahhh, music to my ears. Love those kids!
     Grandstand gestures mean nothing, not in the long run, nor the short run either. The Ukrainian mess is still upon us, tarnishing them and us. The war in Afghanistan rages on, our longest war ever. The globe is a dysfunctional entity as countries tear themselves apart,where formerly they lived together. This partisanship is not only between the Democratic Party and the lost their way Republicans, but also between religions, ethnicities, immigrants - all over the world.
     We must make a choie and not just declare a short truce over Thansgiving Day, for the problems outlast the 24 hours and even the weekend. We must make this day stand for courage, for clearsightedness, for reality checks on all, even those who have shifted so far to the left that they forget they have another direction in which to move. Extremism has never been a good idea, leading to most of the wars and slaughters in history. 
     When will we realize this? When will we stop with the nonsense that is interfering with survival of the species, with goodness, with welcome to new citizens? I wish I knew. I wish I knew why we set up stings on students seeking to study and live here, contributing to society. I can attest to that as I have doctors of foreign origin, proud American citizens, who have saved my life and kept me going. Why can we not take that money and spend it on feeding our hungry, to providing homes for those who cannot afford one even as they work two jobs. Why can we not spend it on improving education, on equalizing the chances for all, and yes, that encompasses every dang race and creed as children are placed in schools which place emphasis on all the wrong things and neglect the three R's and all else needed to survive in this quick changing world.
    Why can we not give thanks every day for every which way in which we are furthering a better world, a safer world, a warmer world where friendsip and love count for more than militaristic bombasity. Why? Who the hell knows, but it certainly makes the glow of the holiday fade a bit too soon and for too long. Maybe we can give thanks for a future improvement of our attitudes and then do exactly that and make next year's Thanksgiving a truly great one. And that, for sure, means no 'Donald I' any more, by removal or by election; I could care less, other than that he and his are out of governemnt and leave us the hell alone. What a day of thanks that would be.