The God Squad: Give thanks for those not thanked enough

Every year at Thanksgiving time, I try to put some deeper meaning into the easily generalized list of people and things for which I’m thankful.

Family, food, health, freedom, soldiers, police, firemen, home and stuffing always top the list, and they’re all worthy of our thanks. However, the list is much longer and includes things and people we often overlook.

Let me know your own lists of easily overlooked blessings, or better still, make sure you mention them before you tuck into your turkey or Tofurky. Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!

I am thankful for:

Movers

I recently moved to California from New York, and as I open the last few boxes of stuff I should have given away, I’m thankful for all the people who move us from point A to point B in our lives.

The people who packed, moved and unpacked my stuff worked so very hard, and even though I paid them for their efforts, the money did not wipe away their sweat. I bought them a very nice lunch from a local deli, and one of them thanked me in this way: “We usually only get pizza. Thanks.”

Then, as I tried to recover from my own meager exhaustion, the crew, of course, moved on and did the same thing for somebody else. Movers are not just box schleppers. Some movers move us in buses, some move us in trains, and some hand us peanuts in planes while we complain about silly stuff as we’re flying through the air at 30,000 feet in padded chairs.

They all deserve more for their labors, but at the very least, they deserve our thanks.

Auto mechanics

They are sort of like movers, but they fix our cars so we can move ourselves. The automobile is now a fiercely complex gasoline- or battery-powered computer that most folks can’t even begin to fix on their own.

We need them to keep our most important people-moving machines in good working order, and the sad thing is that we don’t accord their profession the respect it deserves.

Blue-collar workers make the world work. White-collar workers do as well, but their social status and incomes are generally higher, and this is not right. Hard, greasy work is not just necessary, it is noble, and I’m thankful for their complicated tuning of my biggest machine.

Busboys

Waiters and bartenders (like my son, Max) also don’t get enough respect, but at least they get tips. Busboys (buspeople?) may get a share of the tips, but not always. They clean away our dirty dishes and often wash them in the kitchen. Without them, not a single restaurant could function.

I have a way to judge whether my dining companion in a restaurant is a jerk or a decent soul. It’s a simple test. Does he or she say “thank you” to the person bringing a glass of water and silverware or treat the wait staff as if they were invisible?

A simple “thank you” lets me know that the person with whom I’m sharing a meal is able to share some simple respect for the people who are literally at the bottom of the food chain. I always thank busboys, and I thank them on Thanksgiving deeply.

Nursing home caregivers

My friend Tommy (Father Tom Hartman) is cared for by several wonderful men and women (mostly women) in his nursing home. He, like many other guests at the home, is not easily able, and on some days is unable, to thank them for their care, their smiles and their warm words of encouragement.

One caregiver, Eulalee Parker, is a strong and saintly young woman who’s given Tommy the best life he can live right now. I thank her every time I visit, and some of Tommy’s friends and I show her more tangible thanks when we can. She does what families and friends used to do — but are now much too busy with other demands — for their aging and chronically ill family members.

I know such caregiver work is hard and often unappreciated, but on Thanksgiving Day, I want to ask God’s special blessings for all the healthcare workers and hospital employees who will not eat turkey and pumpkin pie with their families until they know that those who need them most are resting well.

God bless you, Eulalee, and all those like you who keep our loved ones loved when we’re not with them.

(Send QUESTIONS ONLY to The God Squad via email at godsquadquestion@aol.com.)