The Uninvited Guest

November 30, 2020

Somewhat bizarrely, the only turkey we saw this Thanksgiving came to us of its own free will. The uninvited guest arrived in our yard, which it clearly saw as a suitable feeding ground. We live inside the perimeter, so the local wildlife does not typically extend to birds which prefer foraging on forest floors.

Once on our lawn, our fowl friend became very comfortable. Its snacking was uninterrupted by the presence of two humans only ten feet away. Clearly this bird had no idea of the seasonal risk it was running.

The fortuitous arrival of a living Thanksgiving turkey at our home was a catalyst to reflect on the many things I am thankful for. Unlike the turkey, I am an immigrant, and I will be forever appreciative of being accepted warmly into my American home. Professionally, I am very grateful that my job involves being part of such an outstanding and supportive group of team members, and providing service to such a wonderful group of clients. Our firm is in the “relationship business,†so the nature of our working relationships is central to both our success, and the fulfillment we obtain from what we do. I do not make these comments lightly. I have worked in customer service businesses for almost forty years and have had plenty of experiences which were not so positive. Personally, I feel blessed to have loving and caring relationships with many close family members. I am thankful that modern technology allows me to stay in regular contact with relatives from California to Stockholm, even though it can make for some early and late phone calls at the weekend.

There is so much more that I could mention, but more importantly I wanted to say that I hope you enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving, in whatever modified form you decided was appropriate, given the constraints necessitated by the pandemic. And, I hope you too were able to reflect on the many blessings in your life.

…please do not tell the Chick-fil-A cows, but beef tenderloin was the meat on our Thanksgiving dinner menu.

Thank you!

Richard Rushton