"Be a Parade of Thanksgiving"
Dear Unity,One Thanksgiving Day, long ago, when I was eight, I was part of a baton twirling majorette group that included many of my closest friends. We were invited to walk and twirl our batons in the Thanksgiving Day Parade. We were so excited and thought it was the best thing in the world!
Now the parade was not the Macy's Parade in New York nor the Hudson's Parade in Detroit; No, this was a local community parade put on by area Service Clubs and held in beautiful downtown Mt. Clemens.
Bands from local high schools, Chappawa Valley, Clintondale, Lans'Cruse walked in front of the floats made by the high schools and Service Clubs and the reigning school kings and queens rode in the backs of convertibles.
Clowns walked the streets while making balloon animals and trucks followed them filled with local politicians and their families waving and throwing candy as they went past.
Then near the very end of the parade just in front of Santa being pulled on a tractor and wagon was us; a group of aspiring majorettes, twelve eight year olds dressed in short blue dresses with white fur trim, white tights, white boots, hats and gloves, all freezing.
We tried valiantly to twirl our batons as the wind whipped our faces turning our noses red and tearing through our not warm enough uniforms. But we did not care about the cold, for all along the route our attention was captured by cheers and waves from our families and many from the community who lined the two blocks wrapped in warm coats and blankets.
The whole parade lasted about three hours but the memory of this parade continues to live on in me.
This Thanksgiving remember everywhere we go and everyone we interact with, we are creating in them childhood memories. May you help to create memories filled with gratitude for family, friends, community and the unlimited possibilities that compassion, love and attention nurture in children of every age everywhere.
God Bless and Happy Thanksgiving
Rev Janice
