Thanksgiving by Edgar Albert Guest

Appreciation, Edgar Albert Guest, Ella Wheeler Wilcox, Environment, Giving, Gratitude, Loving Kindness, Poems, Reflection, Relationship, Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving by Edgar Albert Guest

bk
November 23, 2009
Thanksgiving by Edgar Albert Guest

Thanksgiving by Edgar Albert Guest, Photo credit: PublicDomainArchive

Since Thanksgiving is just a few days away. I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Let us remember to give thanks and to express our gratitude to our family and friends. As Ella Wheeler Wilcox said,

“…blessings are like friends, I hold, who love and labor near us. We ought to raise our notes of praise while living hearts can hear us.”

It certainly makes more sense for us to give sincere appreciation to our family and friends while they are still around. Life can be really fragile and we are not always guaranteed of tomorrow. There is little room for regrets in life and we must generously lavish our family and friends with gratitude and thanks throughout the year. And perhaps, along the way, we can also reach out a helping hand to others who are in need too.

Besides expressing our gratitude for our family and friends, we must also give thanks to the environment which has been providing unconditionally for us. And what would be a better way to give thanks to our environment than to protect it.

What are you thankful for this year? What would you be doing this Thanksgiving? Although I am not observing Thanksgiving here, it would be great to share your joy. Wishing you a Bless and Happy Thanksgiving week!

Thanksgiving by Edgar Albert Guest

Gettin’ together to smile an’ rejoice,
An’ eatin’ an’ laughin’ with folks of your choice;
An’ kissin’ the girls an’ declarin’ that they
Are growin’ more beautiful day after day;
Chattin’ an’ braggin’ a bit with the men,
Buildin’ the old family circle again;
Livin’ the wholesome an’ old-fashioned cheer,
Just for awhile at the end of the year.
Greetings fly fast as we crowd through the door
And under the old roof we gather once more
Just as we did when the youngsters were small;
Mother’s a little bit grayer, that’s all.
Father’s a little bit older, but still
Ready to romp an’ to laugh with a will.
Here we are back at the table again
Tellin’ our stories as women an’ men.

Bowed are our heads for a moment in prayer;
Oh, but we’re grateful an’ glad to be there.
Home from the east land an’ home from the west,
Home with the folks that are dearest an’ best.
Out of the sham of the cities afar
We’ve come for a time to be just what we are.
Here we can talk of ourselves an’ be frank,
Forgettin’ position an’ station an’ rank.

Give me the end of the year an’ its fun
When most of the plannin’ an’ toilin’ is done;
Bring all the wanderers home to the nest,
Let me sit down with the ones I love best,
Hear the old voices still ringin’ with song,
See the old faces unblemished by wrong,
See the old table with all of its chairs
An’ I’ll put soul in my Thanksgivin’ prayers.
_____________________________________

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29 thoughts on “Thanksgiving by Edgar Albert Guest”

  1. Tracy

    Happy Thanksgiving wishes to you & yours too! :o) Such beautiful words and sentiments here… I’m far from most of my family since I’m living abroad in a place where there is no Thanksgiving. So I really get homesick at Thanksgiving. But I bring the tradition with me. And I’ll be serving a special dinner and pumpkin pie, just me and my husband. I may be far away…but family is always together in heart, and for that and much more I am very thankful! Happy Week! Oh, and thank you for stopping by to join in on the fun of my gift giveaway. Stop by soon! :o)

    1. Symphony of Love Post author

      @ Tracy, glad that you have brought with you the tradition. And I agree with you, although you may be far from most of your family, family is always together in heart. Have a wonderful week ahead. 🙂

      @ Julia, yes I did realise that Canada had celebrated Thanksgiving in October. A very belated Thanksgiving to you. I love those verses too especially the feeling of coming home together.

  2. Julia Smith

    In Canada we already celebrated Thanksgiving in October. Earlier harvest, and all that. But I really enjoyed the poem you shared here. These lines are my favorites:

    ‘And under the old roof we gather once more
    Just as we did when the youngsters were small;
    Mother’s a little bit grayer, that’s all.
    Father’s a little bit older, but still
    Ready to romp an’ to laugh with a will.
    Here we are back at the table again
    Tellin’ our stories as women an’ men.’
    .-= Julia Smith´s last blog ..Poetry Train Monday – 128 – I Won’t Back Down =-.

  4. Brandy

    I love that poem it’s very good. I love poetry, both reading and writing it!

    Thanks for the comment love lately at Happily Blended, I appreciate you stopping by!

  5. Symphony of Love Post author

    @ Lisa, Happy Thanksgiving too and wishing you all the best! 🙂

    @ Brandy, you are most welcome. Glad that you love that poem. Edgar Albert Guest did bring out the true essence of Thanksgiving. 🙂

  6. Jude

    Thanks for the lovely wishes and for sharing that poem. I realize I have so much to be grateful for and I extend that gratefulness to you BK it’s been a pleasure meeting you online and reading your blog. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and take care.
    .-= Jude´s last blog ..Clickbank 5 Credit Card Requirement =-.

    1. Symphony of Love Post author

      @ Jude, there are indeed much to be grateful for. Thank you for always dropping by and commenting. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving too. 🙂

      @ Gabriele, thank you for sharing the bit about the festivals of harvest during Romerias.

      @ Pam, thank you and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours too. 🙂

      @ Melissa, glad that you like the poem. Have a Happy Thanksgiving. 🙂

      @ Janie, yes it is important to appreciate our loved ones each day. Happy Thanksgiving. 🙂

  7. Gabriele

    Being German thanksgiving never really featured in my past. I grew up celebrating the birth of Christ on 24th of December every year. The next day was rather a church and family day without much big fuss.
    Nobody was thinking much of the environment then, as usually most of the country was covered in snow.
    But it is too true, thanks should be given to what nature provides for us. In Tenerife this is done during Romerias which are custom festivals of harvests above all.
    .-= Gabriele´s last blog ..Nov 21, Spanish news Tenerife Jazz and video-Live concerts-Jazz online =-.

  10. Janie of Utah

    Nice poem! You are so right that we need to appreciate what we have each day, and tell our loved ones that we appreciate them.
    Happy Thanksgiving to you.
    .-= Janie of Utah´s last blog ..Nutty =-.

  14. Symphony of Love Post author

    @ Teresa, I agree with you that Thanksgiving is a calming holiday especially when we are spending our time with loved ones around us. Hope you have a great one too.

  20. Emily Jane

    Hi thank you so much for coming by my blog and for your kind words. I wanted to stop by and say thank you, and now I see your lovely post on Thanksgiving – we already had ours last month, but being thankful is definitely something we should all try and keep at the front of our minds throughout the year – especially in today’s world, we have no idea how much time we have with our loved ones and we really should make them feel appreciated and not take a second for granted.

    Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
    .-= Emily Jane´s last blog ..Halp? =-.

    1. Symphony of Love Post author

      @ Emily Jane, you are most welcome. Glad you agree that being thankful should be something that we keep doing throughout the year. Be Happy. 🙂

      @ Jamie, your are most welcome. 🙂

      @ Maria, I have not heard it before too. I just found it the other day and thought that it reflects the essence of Thanksgiving. Glad that you like it.

      @ Tina, I see Gratitude as one of the most important values which we must have. Glad that you like the poem too.