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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Are you ready for some turkey?</p><p>Stuffing?</p><p>Cranberry sauce?</p><p>Cole slaw?</p><p>Mashed potatoes?</p><p>Gravy?</p><p>Pumpkin pie?</p><p>Oh yeah, are you ready for some football?</p><p>How about a parade of giant inflatable characters?</p><p>And visits from family and friends?</p><p>Maybe a late-night movie? &#8220;The Irishman&#8221;?</p><p>It&#8217;s Thanksgiving and between sessions of battling opposable thumbs, families will gather to celebrate all that there is to be thankful for, like the list above and much more important things like each other, life, good health and prosperity.</p><p>Even more than Christmas or any other holiday, Thanksgiving has always been <em>the</em> day for family gatherings and celebrations of good food, fun and, of course, football. Despite those long ago Turkey Day rivalries between local pre-merger high schools, we still have the NFL and college football to savor.</p><p>It&#8217;s still about traditions, although many have dwindled over the years as generations have evolved, becoming less willing to cling to those time-honored special events. After all, unless it appears somewhere on a social media site, how could it be important?</p><p>But it is important. There has to be a way to merge this millennial way of social inactivity with the family traditional values that should still be inside us all, no matter what generation.</p><p>OK, Boomer.</p><p>Attending a gathering at mom and dad&#8217;s or grandma&#8217;s or at Aunt Betty&#8217;s would be &#8212; should be &#8212; looked forward to. You will get a delicious turkey dinner with all the trimmings and, perhaps, you may get a card with money in it to help buy the latest video game or electronic device.</p><p>And wouldn&#8217;t you enjoy watching Aunt Betty open that 2-pound box of Whitman&#8217;s Sampler chocolates and begin the search for your favorite. It&#8217;s all right there on the inside lid of the big yellow box &#8212; a chart that shows you what each candy is and where it is located. No need to take a bite to taste it or squish one to see what&#8217;s inside &#8212; the Whitman people provide that information for you. It&#8217;s genius.</p><p>So if you partied on Thanksgiving Eve, sleep in to recharge your batteries, then head to the family Thanksgiving gathering. They all want to see you and ask you all sorts of probing, personal questions: &#8220;How are your grades?&#8221; &#8220;When are you getting married?&#8221; &#8220;When are you going to make me a grandmother?&#8221;</p><p>And then the stories will start to flow. You will learn more about your family during the ensuing couple of hours than Ancestry.com could ever provide. Most of it will be good, but expect a few zingers that even Aunt Betty wasn&#8217;t aware of, like finding out what really happened to Cousin Eddie&#8217;s fish tank.</p><p>Keep you ears open while you search websites or text your friends to tell them how much fun you&#8217;re not having.</p><p>But seriously, folks. Today is a day for family and being thankful. It&#8217;s not a cliche. We should give thanks every day, but today is the designated day for calling attention to the importance of being thankful.</p><p>Whether you realize it or not, there is plenty to be thankful for and you should take time to say it out loud &#8212; to mom, dad, family, friends, veterans, teachers, bosses, co-workers, fast-food workers, homeless men and women, police officers, firefighters, nurses, doctors, aides, construction workers, crossing guards, waiters/waitresses, grocery store clerks, public works employees, volunteers, cooks, pharmacists, and anybody with a Whitman&#8217;s Sampler under their arm.</p><p>Call an old friend for a chat. Share stories you may have never told before. Take a look around and be thankful for all that is God&#8217;s great world.</p><p>Go inside and examine who you are, where you&#8217;re going and think about what&#8217;s yet to come.</p><p>And be thankful for all you have and for the opportunities still ahead.</p><p>Now please pass the gravy.</p><p>Happy Thanksgiving!</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/web1_Oboyle_Bill-2-1-5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Bill O'Boyle</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/web1_Oboyle_Bill-2-1-5.jpg</photo0><caption0>Bill O'Boyle</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle, or email at boboyle@www.timesleader.com.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Beyond the Byline: Be thankful for family, friends — everything