Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday of the year. It always has been although I have to say Christmas was always special when the kids were young. Doing Chritsmasy type things, decorating the house, hunting for those hard to get presents, of course before the internet and Amazon, going to Christmas Mass, and the joy of coming down on Christmas morning and seeing the kids reactions.
That continued through changes in marital status and the blending of families. While it became a little hectic from time to time, it did mean enjoying extended families and extra parties, food, and fun. But through it all I would say Thanksgiving has been my favorite, especially as I get older. As the kids aged electronics, gift cards, and money became what topped Santa's list. The beauty of Thanksgiving is this holiday doesn't require gifts, although these days you'll still drop hundreds even with that free twenty-pounder from Shop-Rite.
We should be thankful and grateful each day, and I am, but at times life throws daggers at you which can kill that thankful and grateful buzz. Between getting old, the kids not kids any more, the costs of existence these days staggering, having a day to get however many of the kids and family together is something I look forward to. Blended means to mix, and each holiday it's a mix and match of who's going where and with whom. In the end I just hope my entire fan damily has a nice day.
A week or so ago Theresa and I headed down to Rowan University for their annual scholarship dinner. It's an opportunity for the donors and recipients to meet each other as the scholarships are awarded. After Ryan passed in 2017 we decided to start the Ryan Archer Scholarship Fund.
So each since 2018 a scholarship is awarded to a student who is majoring in physics. Most are double majoring and or majoring. minoring in Physics and Mathematics, like Ryan was. The way it worked was we could have donations made in his name that would go to a general fund, or if we hit $25,000, it would be in perpetuity, which means forever. With the rallying, and many people who read here, we hit that mark and surpassed it. So each year his scholarship is awarded.
This year a fine young man won. When Theresa and I walked into the packed room she looked over and said, "I bet that's him", and it was. Daniel reminded us so much of Ryan. His majors, his dress, the way he talked, and his outlook on life. Like anything else that wears with time, we haven't been attending the dinners. But after this we, or some representation from the family, won't miss another.
If you're in the market for making a donation to a good cause, or need a end of the year tax write-off, I give you the link to donate to the Ryan Archer Scholarship Fund, HERE. This post isn't an attempt to try and get you to donate, but more of a reason why I am thankful and grateful this year. Going to the dinner and feeling that Ryan's fund is making a difference did me good.
So I hope you have reasons to be thankful and grateful this year. It looks like it's going to be a beautiful day after a night of some nasty weather. Waking this morning I could feel the brisk air, which may get the fishing going. I heard of some good action in northern Ocean County yesterday and I'm sure plenty of anglers are out this morning looking for that Thanksgiving Day Blitz of 2025.