Giving Thanks

I'm thinking about Thanksgiving and being thankful, and about family and caring for others this week.  I know Thanksgiving is over a week away, but I do a fair bit of reminiscing with the folks at the facilities I play for during the whole month of November as I try to engage people in a meaningful way, and so Thanksgiving is on my mind all November.  I usually ask them about their favorite thing about Thanksgiving.  The responses vary from food to the family gathering to football to the Black Friday sales frenzy.  Everyone has a little different tradition, and we talk about that as well.  And giving thanks works into that too, with some folks sitting down and making a list of the things they're thankful for.  It seems a shame that Thanksgiving has been reduced a bit over the years to a brief visit with family before the big show of the Christmas season.  I still refuse to sing Christmas songs before Thanksgiving - wanting to give Thanksgiving its due.  I wish there were more Thanksgiving songs.  I tend to sing "Over the River and Through the Woods" as well as the old hymn, "We Gather Together."  Sometimes I stretch the Thanksgiving motif a little to play "Turkey in the Straw."  I'll also sing "No Place Like Home for the Holidays" since it mentions traveling and getting some homemade pumpkin pie.  I have one story I always tell too that I enjoy.  I'll share it here.

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A TURKEY STORY

When I was a young turkey, new to the coop,
My big brother Mike took me out on the stoop,
Then he sat me down, and he spoke real slow,
And he told me there was something that I had to know;

His look and his tone I will always remember,
When he told me of the horrors of ..... Black November;
"Come about August, now listen to me,
Each day you'll get six meals instead of just three.

And soon you'll be thick, where once you were thin,
And you'll grow a big rubbery thing under your chin.
"And then one morning, when you're warm in your bed,
In'll burst the farmer's wife, and hack off your head;

"Then she'll pluck out all your feathers so you're bald'n pink,
And scoop out all your insides and leave ya lyin' in the sink,
"And then comes the worst part" he said not bluffing,
"She'll spread your cheeks and pack your rear with stuffing".

Well, the rest of his words were too grim to repeat,
I sat on the stoop like a winged piece of meat,
And decided on the spot that to avoid being cooked,
I'd have to lay low and remain overlooked;

I began a new diet of nuts and granola,
High-roughage salads, juice and diet cola,
And as they ate pastries, chocolates and crepes,
I stayed in my room doing Jane Fonda tapes,

I maintained my weight of two pounds and a half,
And tried not to notice when the bigger birds laughed;
But 'twas I who was laughing, under my breath,
As they chomped and they chewed, ever closer to death;

And sure enough when Black November rolled around,
I was the last turkey left in the entire compound;

So now I'm a pet in the farmer's wife's lap;
I haven't a worry, so I eat and I nap,
She held me today, while sewing and humming,
She smiled at me and said "Christmas is coming........"

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That story always pleases.

This idea of giving thanks for all the things we have that we know we don't deserve is a good one. The world can be a scary place, and the warm embrace of family and a gathering with food and comfort is something to truly be thankful for.  Happy Thanksgiving!

So what am I up to this week?

Friday I'll be playing an evening at the La Veta Inn in La Veta 6-9ish.  I always enjoy the Inn around the holidays, and I haven't gotten to play there at this season for several years, so I'm really looking forward to it!  The weather forecast is a little iffy right now, so cross your fingers for safe travels for me and anyone else who ventures out that night.

Best always,

Tom

Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch
What:  playing & singing
Where:  La Veta Inn, 103 W. Ryus Ave, La Veta.  719-742-3700
When:  Friday, November 22, 6-9 pm

Thinking of My Dad on Veterans Day

Happy Veterans Day!  I always think of my dad on Veterans Day and the time he spent in the service.  He served in the South Pacific as a medic, and although he didn't tell a lot of stories (as many vets are reticent to do) the stories he did tell always let me know how tough it was on him to serve.  He lost good friends for no apparent reason, missed being killed at random, and faced the enemy across a rice patty at one point where he could tell that the enemy was no more than a scared young man just like himself.  He saw beautiful tropical paradises juxtaposed with terrible destruction in the same day.  It always hit me that the things we ask our young men (and women) to do and to see are things that they will live with for the rest of their lives, and it seems like there is no real way to thank them enough for enduring the things they endure and risking their lives to defend our way of life.  My dad only mentioned these things when we asked about the small outrigger canoe that a native had made for him in New Guinea, or after seeing great films he wanted us to see like "Patton."  I love and respect him for doing what he did, and that goes for all the men and women who serve.  So Happy Veterans Day, and hopefully one day we will have lasting peace.

I just have one public gig this week - Magpies this Friday 7-10.  We had a great evening last time at Magpies, and I expect this one to be a blast as well.  Maybe I'll bring the electric and do a few jazz standards this outing.  Hope to see you there!

Tom

Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch
What:  playing & singing
Where:  Magpies, 229 S. Union, Pueblo.  719-542-5522
When:  Friday, November 15, 7-10 pm