© 2023 LJR
As Thanksgiving time approaches
I find myself reviewing
What my years have given me
Three score and more can I claim
Each a mix of blessings and sorrow
Challenges and triumphs
Wins and losses
Highs and lows
But through it all
I’ve never been truly alone
Anchored by family and friends
Bolstered by faith
I’ve kept moving forward
Adding each new day
To life’s memory banks
Stockpiling the good
Letting go of the bad
Always grateful for the fact
I’ve made it this far at all!
There’s a nip to the air
As the leaves turn and fall
When the corn and the pumpkins are ripe
Squirrels cache seeds and nuts
Flocks of geese vee due south
Muskrats scurry to ready their dens
Deer bed down in thickets
Bears settle in snug caves
They all feel the change in the season
Yet someone’s not moving
As if he’s ignoring
All signs of this upcoming shift
Scarecrow stands all alone
Holding firm to his pole
Ready to face whatever may come
He’ll ignore rain and sleet
Brave the cold and the snow
Protecting what is close to his heart
For nestled in his chest
Lies a family home
Our scarecrow has found a new purpose.
