30 Before 30: #27 Complete My "Thanksgiving Project"



"Complete My 'Thanksgiving Project'" is one of those goals that I think needs a little explanation. I have wavered back and forth on this but have decided to transcribe the note that I include with all the letters so that you, dear reader, get the same explanation that a letter recipient does. Here goes:

          The day after my dad died unexpectedly last year, my brother and I were talking and he said that most people in our situation would probably be worried about what the last thing they said to him was and fretting that he didn't know what he meant to them. "I'm just not," Alan said. "As he was leaving to go to the hospital, I think I said bye. Some people that would bother, but Daddy knew what he meant to me and I knew what I meant to him."
          I realized that I agreed: Daddy did know what he meant to me and I knew how much he loved and cherished me. Later, when I got to thinking about it, I decided I couldn't say the same thing about all the people in my life who were important to me. I wanted to fix that because if Daddy's death reiterated anything to me, it's that sometimes there isn't another chance to tell someone what they mean to you.
          I considered what to do. Several years ago during one of the more tumultuous times in our family, I wrote Daddy a letter thanking him for being the kind of dad he was. He told me later how much it meant to him. I thought of that and determined I was going to write letters to the people closest to me as a project for Thanksgiving. Well, Thanksgiving came and went and no letters had been written. Back to the drawing board went I.
          It took a while. I was in a place in my life where I wasn't feeling particularly thankful, but then I really started thinking about all the many blessings in my life. As I thought about them, I knew I have a lot more to be grateful for than just the people closest to me. And so, "The Thanksgiving Project 2012" was born. I decided to spend a year being actively grateful--for the little things, the big ones, and everything in between. If you're receiving this letter, you've done something to impact my life and you're one of the things I'm grateful for.

So, that is the gist of the origins of what I'm calling "The Thanksgiving Project 2012." I realized earlier this week that since it was a project it perhaps needed somewhat more defined parameters. I decided to say that I will write no less than 100 letters as a part of this project. 100 letters!? 100 letters. Then I decided that since it was (at that time) almost March, I should probably start writing. So, I did. Which brings me to: I wrote the first letter for my "Thanksgiving Project" on Wednesday! As it is not a deeply personal one, I will include it below (pictures and text).

Dear Mr. Paisley,
     It was July 4. I listened to "One of Those Lives" on the way to my uncle's BBQ to remind myself that everything was going to be fine. My dad had gone earlier to the ER for tests because the doctors' offices were closed for the holidays. We were prepping shish kabobs when we got the call from my sister that everything wasn't okay. Daddy had had a pulmonary embolism while they were preparing to admit him to ICU. He was gone in an instant.
     I think you're right in This Is Country Music's liner notes when you say, "Country singers are present at weddings, funerals, graduations, and the most impactful moments in our fans' lives." I was still humming "One of Those Lives" when I got the worst news I've ever received, and a few days later, you were present for another momentous occasion: Daddy's funeral.
     Daddy loved music but he didn't buy a lot of CDs. He had all The Beatles' albums, a few others, and Time Well Wasted. He bought that specifically because he liked "When I Get Where I'm Going" so much. It was that song I heard as the doors swung open and I led my family into a room full of almost 900 people, all standing and staring at me. It was the largest funeral I've ever been to. My dad deserved it. More than a great man, he was a good man. Facing that crowd was one of the most difficult and humbling experiences I can ever imagine having. The walk to the front of the auditorium didn't seem long, but I knew as I made it that I was braver and stronger than I had thought and I had it in me to do anything. And your music was the soundtrack to it.
     So, I give thanks for your music and the joy it's brought to my life. I give thanks that it's been there to share in my life's moments--both big and small, happy and sad.
     Many Thanks,
     Bethany



There you have it. Letter number one. I don't know if you can tell, but the cards I had printed are TINY and I tend to get quite effusive when I write. In a way it's good because it makes me focus on what I really want to say. Well, that and write really small.

So, one down, ninety-nine to go. I will keep you updated.