A Lewis Grizzard Thanksgiving

November 25, 2021

Happy Thanksgiving 

A Lewis Grizzard Thanksgiving

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!

    His faithful love endures forever.

Psalm 107:1 

I love retelling this Thanksgiving story from the late Southern Philosopher, Lewis Grizzard (1946-1994).

In 1986, Lewis wrote of missing the family Thanksgiving dinner. It was at an uncle's house out in the country. Country folks like to eat dinner early in the middle of the day. Grizzard slept late and missed it. At 1 P.M. that afternoon, he got a call from his friend, B.A., inviting Lewis to catch a plane because one of their favorite bars in Savannah was open even if nothing else was. Lewis said he met B.A. at the Savannah airport three hours later. On their way to their favorite bar they first stopped at a little beer joint just outside the airport. I’ll let Lewis finish telling his story.

“There were a couple of pool tables inside and young men wearing hats with the names of various heavy equipment companies sewn on them were playing. Cigarettes dangled from their mouths. They were silent and expressionless. One got the idea heavy stakes were involved.

A few old men sat around the bar drinking beer. A man and a woman worked behind the bar. There was a juke box playing country music.

"Keep your mouth shut," B. A. said, "and we'll probably be OK."

"Probably..."

We had a few beers and played a few tunes of our own. Nobody had spoken to us until a graybeard sitting a few stools down looked up from his can of beer and asked, "Y'all ain't from around here, are you?"

We said we weren't.

"Y’all going to stay for supper?" the man went on.

"Stay for what? I asked.

"Supper," he said. "We have it here every year on Thanksgiving. It's mostly for the regulars who don't have nowhere else to go, but I'm sure nobody would mind if y'all stayed."

We didn't say yes. But we didn't say no, either.

A half hour later, the door to the joint opened and in walked five or six ladies bearing plates of food. Lots of food. They set up a table near the juke box. Turkey and dressing. A ham. Mashed potatoes and gravy. Green beans. Butter beans. Creamed corn. Homemade rolls. There were also cakes and pies.

The customers put down their beers and pool sticks. They lined up plates in hand for the feast in front of them.

"Y'all more than welcome to eat," said the woman behind the bar. We got in line.

The food was wonderful. We went back twice.

"You do this every year, huh?, I asked one of the ladies that brought the food.

"They's lots of people don't have nowheres to go on Thanksgiving," she said. "Some of 'em come in here to drink cause it ain't as lonely as staying home. We all live in the neighborhood and we just try to share what we got with others."

We stayed until 9 or 10. We tried to pay extra for the food, but nobody would take our money. Thanksgivings come and Thanksgivings go, and, occasionally, one comes along that is very special."

(The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, November 27, 1986).

Cheryl and I wish you a very special Thanksgiving.

 

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.