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| Beverly Orel makes gravy with the drippings |
How It’s New York: The Thanksgiving Day Parade is a NYC tradition, and the city loves this holiday, which asks for no church or synagogue or gifts, just food. And football.
How It’s Irish: It’s a holiday that symbolizes safety in a new land, and bounty after trials. With so many songs of emigration, the Irish certainly know what that’s like.
This was actually my second Thanksgiving this year, as my first was last month at Celtic Colours in Nova Scotia, where they have it earlier. They too eat turkey and cranberry sauce! Me, I’m thankful for the power coming back on, after 8.5 days without it in Millburn after Hurricane Sandy. I’m thankful for the readers and writers of this blog and the way people have rushed to embrace it. I’m thankful in advance for the new iPad I bought myself on Black Friday, which should make blogging on the train a little easier!
I like to be specific, but like so many others, I’m grateful for good friends, good family, good cats, good eats… and that ‘m able to play the fiddle again thanks to the wonders of joint replacement surgery.
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| Yep. I made a pumpkin pie. It’s gone now. |
Here’s what some of our bloggers had to share–we hope more of them will comment below, and invite you too as well. What are you thankful for?
Peggie Marano: I am, as crazy as this sounds, incredibly thankful that I get to spend the Thanksgiving weekend with my daughter at the Mid Atlantic Regional Irish Dance Championships in Philadelphia. Amidst the wigs, rhinestone dresses, hair pins and sock glue are some of the greatest Irish men and women I have ever had the pleasure to know (especially my crazy dance mom friends and the teachers from the DeNogla School of Irish Dance). Here’s Peggie’s last post, on dance! (More soon!)
John Lee: Thankful for the kid picking up the sax, friendship with some legendary Micks, the Thanksgiving parade gathering down the block, all the work I can get, the election results, all too rare nights out with my wife, the comic stylings of Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirz and the many hours spent on Discworld. John wrote about an iconic photo here.
Mike Farragher: I am thankful for my life and everything in it. I am blessed with a thriving gaggle of artists that root for me in my creative pursuits and I have a loving family that contributes extraordinary color to my life. God has indeed blessed me with health, wealth, family, and friends! Mike has been leading the NJ extension of the Irish American writers and Artiss Salon; read his write-up here!
Jane Kelton: I’m grateful for the generosity of musicians who shared their time and tunes with those of us who plagued them with attention when we were first learning; the organizers of festivals; sound engineers and radio hosts, folk-club hosts, publicans who put up with all of our carry-on, friends and family who lived through our practicing, the younger ones coming after us who keep us going with their enthusiasm and curiosity. Jane wrote about Paperboy in the 1st Irish Theatre Festival: read it here!
Darrah Carr: I am grateful for the steadfast love of my family, for enduring friendships that reach back twenty years, and for the dedicated dancers that make my work possible. Watch for a report from Darrah soon on the proceedings that led to the book Close to the Floor.
Kathy Callahan: Irish American Writers&Artists Salon! Here’s Kathy Callahan on Julie Feeney!
L.E. McCullough: — having been given the gift of being able to be moved emotionally by music; having been given the ability to learn how to create music that moves people emotionally; the knowledge and generosity of spirit I received from every single player I met while learning music; the people who hear music and appreciate its beauty and power in their heart. His last post reported on some great holiday CDs, read it here!
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| Mmmm. Full of turkey. |
Honor Molloy: I’m thankful for being happy! A regular at the IAWA Salons, Honor reported on one of the readings in 1st Irish for us: read it here!
John Kearns: A new tech writing job at NBCUniversal; The great production, audiences, and reviews for my play, In the Wilderness Being spared most of Sandy’s wrath; A year of IAW&A Salons ; A wonderful trip to Ireland in August; The success of the Judy Collins O’Neill Award event; A well-poured pint of Guinness; Time & quiet in which to write; The 2012 Philadelphia Eagles are not always on national TV
An everything bagel that holds nothing back! Here’s John Kearns on Clannad.
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What about you?
