Hold the Christmas ads and let’s show our thanks first

I guess I need to check my calendar. I had assumed this was Thanksgiving Week but according to the television ads, it is Christmas already – or the Holiday season, for the politically-correct. There is just one problem. I haven’t yet had the chance to talk about being thankful or having the opportunity to tell you why. Plus, I need to remind myself on occasion that I have it pretty good and to stifle the whining. No whining allowed in this space today. Just thankfulness. Try it. You might like it.

There could be no mention of Thanksgiving without mentioning the late Furman Bisher, sports editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the finest writer I ever knew, whose annual Thanksgiving columns were unparalleled masterpieces. I am thankful for the evenings we spent together overlooking the marshes on St. Simons as he recounted his times with Ty Cobb and Shoeless Joe Jackson and Bobby Jones and just about every famous sports figure of his time.

Thanksgiving Day is always on or near my birthday, and the more birthdays I have, the more thankful I am. I don’t take them for granted as I once did. Life is fragile. I am glad to be here because there have been a couple instances in the not-too-distant past when I almost wasn’t. God spared me for a reason. Maybe He is giving me a do-over to see if I can get it right for a change. (I am trying, God. I promise.)

Since selling the home I shared with the Beloved Woman Who Shared My Name and where we raised our kids, I have made a lot of new friends in a wonderful new environment. I am thankful for each and every one of them. We hail from all parts of the country, and despite our cultural and political differences, we really seem to like each other. Conversely, I have lost several of them this year. I am thankful I got to know them.

Actor Sam Elliot – he of the handlebar moustache and molasses voice – once said whatever we have achieved has been a combination of hard work along with a lot of luck. I was taught the importance of hard work by my parents, who exemplified the example.

But luck has also played a big role in my life. The right people crossed my path at the right time. Dr. Raymond Cook was my professor when I was close to quitting or flunking out of college my freshman year. His style of teaching inspired me to keep going and to get my degree. It took me 40 years to find him retired in Valdosta to thank him personally. We remained great friends until his passing at the age of 99.

No one had a greater influence on my life than Jasper Dorsey. He was vice president of Southern Bell’s Georgia operations when I was a pup in the business. For some reason, he saw some promise in me and thus began my growth as a manager and, more importantly, as a person. I learned a lot about the telephone business from him, but I also learned a lot of life lessons from him. Ironically, one of the things Jasper Dorsey taught me was you will never lose a friend by saying thank you.

Our paths were remarkably similar. A part of his career was spent in Washington with AT& T. So was mine. He was an officer with Southern Bell. I was vice president of BellSouth. He was president of the University of Georgia national alumni association. So was I. Upon retirement, he began a new career as a syndicated columnist in Georgia. Ditto. We stayed close until he died. My reason for sharing this with you is that you have someone or several someones who have shaped your life. On this day, I am grateful that I had the opportunity to thank both these great men for the influence they had on my life. I hope you will do the same.

I have tried not to make this the usual “I am thankful for …” column you might have been expecting. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have a boatload of things about which to be thankful: My family. My independence. My memories. My art. My beloved alma mater. Hugs. Sunrises Sunsets. Laughter, especially little ones. Being a Georgian. Being an American. And last, but not least, having this weekly correspondence with you, thanks to the editors. I have nothing to whine about today. Thank you.

You can reach Dick Yarbrough at dick@dickyarbrough.com; at P.O. Box 725373, Atlanta, Georgia 31139.