My Story

On a cold Thursday morning in November, the 28th to be exact, William and Patricia received a call they had been waiting for for several weeks. It was the adoption agency informing them that a baby has become available and they could pick him up today. What made this day special, besides the obvious new addition to the family, was that it was Thanksgiving Day.
As was the tradition in my family at that time, and for at least the next 18 years, we gathered at my Aunt Janes house in Sylvania, Ohio for Thanksgiving dinner. So William and Patricia drove their 66 mustang convertible to the agency and picked up their new son Thomas and took him right over to Aunt Janes. Patricia was concerned about the baby being to cold with the car being a convertible and the weather in northern Ohio in November. So before they left the adoption agency Aunt Jane was called and kept a lookout at the door to open the garage door so William could drive right inside to keep the baby out of the cold.
So at 15 days old baby Thomas spent his first day with his whole family on Thanksgiving, Thursday November 28, 1968.
A year never passed, even when we were a thousand miles apart, that I didn't get a call from my mother and hear that story. For most of my life I was blessed enough and at times embarrassed to hear it being told around my aunts big dinner table in front of my entire family. It always reminded me that I had more to be thankful for than most. I had two loving people that opened their hearts, lives, and home to a stranger.
Since my mothers passing a few years ago this will be the first Thanksgiving I am celebrating. This hasn't been an intentional thing it's just I worked the last few and my son spends time at his mothers family because they still do the big get together and my father dodged us on the first one after her passing. But tomorrow although a day early I will remember for the first time in 3 years all that I have to be thankful for and hope you all do the same. Listen to the ridiculous stories, especially the ones that surface at the holidays, because when the teller is gone the silence can be deafening.
On a side note it has never occurred to me until this writing to wonder if the reason I am named Tom is because I was brought home on Turkey Day? I will have to grill the old man about that at dinner tomorrow. There are no other Toms in my family....hmmmm.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!!!