Travel

Over the River and

Through the Woods
by Lydia Maria Child

Over the river and thru the wood,

To grandfather's house we go;

The horse knows the way

To carry the sleigh,

Thru the white and drifted snow, oh!

Over the river and thru the wood,

Oh, how the wind does blow!

It stings the toes,

And bites the nose,

As over the ground we go.

Over the river and thru the wood,

To have a first-rate play;

Oh, hear the bell ring,

"Ting-a-ling-ling!"

Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day-ay!

Over the river and thru the wood,

Trot fast my dapple gray!

Spring over the ground,

Like a hunting hound!

For this is Thanksgiving Day. 

Yeah... I never really understood this song. For one thing, it was that whole snow reference - not really helpful in Miami, now is it?

Besides that, with Mom, Dad, and my siblings and I all living in Miami and Grandfather's house being in Minnesota, there was no way we were going there for a meal, no matter how fantastic a meal it might be, on Thanksgiving day.

For a while, my family had the habit of getting together for the holiday at some mutually convenient place. We went to Orlando once, and Pigeon Forge another year... That was a cool tradition. But as we got more and more far flung, this became unworkable.

So my travel today will be by telephone. I'll be calling my family before heading off to a friend's house to share dinner with friends. Traditions sometimes change. But I suppose that the holiday and its meaning stays the same.

Wherever you are today, I wish you peace and happiness with friends and family on this Thanksgiving Day.

Don Bergquist - November 27, 2008 - Lakewood, Colorado, USA