Turkey Day

Since I decided to stay in Chicago for Thanksgiving, I thought I should try to make the most of the day and do some festive things before joining friends for dinner in the evening. I decided to make my way downtown to see the State Street Thanksgiving Day Parade. The temperature this morning was in the teens, so I put on lots of layers in an attempt to stay warm. I even wore my supposedly wind-proof hood to keep my ears, head and face warm.

Because the trains were on holiday schedule, I decided to give myself half an hour to get downtown although it should only take about 10 minutes. I got to the Jackson St. train station at about 8:15, and walked south to the intersection of Van Buren and State to watch the spectacle unfold. In front of me, a half-inflated Miss Piggy balloon was being taken care of by her many handlers. I could hear bands warming up a couple of blocks south where the parade began.

The parade finally started at 8:30, right on time, and I watched it for about half an hour. As parades go, it was nice, though a little smaller than I might have expected for a parade in a city this large.

By 9:00, my feet were so cold that I could no longer feel them, and I was afraid my fingers were entering the early stages of frostbite. I went stomped south down State Street to the train station, south to see more of the parade and stomping in an attempt to get blood flowing into my feet again.

I got home, ate a little breakfast and then drove to the Hyde Park/Kenwood Interfaith Council's Thanksgiving Day service at Rockefeller Chapel. It was a lovely service, with readings and inspirational messages from many different faith backgrounds. Perhaps the most beautiful moment was when a young Muslim man chanted verses from the Koran before they were read (in English) by a young Muslim woman. The chant was exquisite, lovely and full of passion. It was a great way to celebrate Thanksgiving.

On this Thanksgiving Day, I'm very thankful that I have a job, a warm place to sleep, and plenty of food to eat. I'm thankful that my family are safe and sound, and that I have friends both near and far.

Tonight, I will eat turkey and sweet potatoes and stuffing and mashed potatoes. Tomorrow I will shop and decorate. It's truly a great holiday.