Good morning. Welcome to Jo Ann’s Virtual Café 2022. Come on in and help yourself to a breakfast beverage. Let’s talk. Miss Josie is fixing biscuits and gravy, biscuits with bacon and eggs, and all our favorites today. Here’s a Thanksgiving story.
This is a story of how an old turkey changed a man’s life. Farmer Brown had one old turkey left that he had been saving for Thanksgiving Dinner. He had decided to stop raising turkeys. He thought they ate too much and were too much trouble.
He had named his last turkey Tom as a joke. Now Farmer Brown did do one good thing. He would let people use Tom as the mascot in the annual Thanksgiving Parade in town. When people heard that Farmer Brown was going to eat old Tom, they were not happy. Several people offered to buy Tom from Farmer Brown, but he wouldn’t have any of that.
You see when Farmer Brown decides what he wants to do, he won’t change his mind. Several years ago, Farmer Brown’s attitude toward things took a very negative spin. No one knew why but they got used to it. A couple of days before Thanksgiving a man named Henry stopped by to see Farmer Brown.
“I need some straw for my strawberry plants this Winter. Can I buy a couple of bales from you?” asked Henry. “Go help yourself, Henry. I will be in the house for you to pay me,” said Farmer Brown.
After Henry loaded two bales of straw into his pickup truck, he went into Farmer Brown’s house to pay him. “What’s the matter with you, Henry? You look like you saw a ghost,” said Farmer Brown. “Well! I did. I was picking up a bale of straw and turned around and there was old Farmer Green looking at me. You know he died here years ago. He said to give you this note. I am out of here. I won’t be back until next Spring. I am scared,” said Henry.
Before Farmer Brown could answer, Henry ran to his pickup and sped away. Farmer Brown opened the note,
“Be careful, Farmer Brown. Tom Turkey must live, or you will be cursed to live alone all your life.”
Farmer Brown laughed at the note. That ain’t nothing, he thought. I am already cursed to live alone. Farmer Brown went to bed early that night. He woke up by someone pounding on his front door at midnight. He opened his front door and yelled, “Who is disturbing my sleep?” In front of him was a man that looked like Farmer Green. “I am Farmer Green. I tried to warn you by giving Henry a note for you. Do not kill Tom Turkey or you will regret it forever.”
A big flash of light blinded Farmer Brown and Farmer Green was gone. Farmer Brown laughed, “Why should I believe what just happened? I must have drunk too much hard cider and am seeing things.” The next day Farmer Brown watched his prize turkey Tom walk around this barnyard.
Old Tom was fat enough to give him several good meals. He caught Tom and put him in a cage in the barn. Tom looked at him like he knew what was going to happen to him. Farmer Brown jumped back from the cage. There was a faint voice that said, “Don’t do what you are going to do. I am a sacred turkey from the old days. You are alone because of your father. You should have married her. She still loves you.”
Farmer Brown looked around. There was only Tom and him in the barn. The only one that knew about that was him. Farmer Brown ran back into his house. It was starting to rain just before he closed the door. Lightning flashed, and he thought he saw his father in the middle of the barnyard. His father yelled, “Please forgive me I was wrong.”
It couldn’t have been him. His father had died a year ago. Farmer Brown grabbed a big jug of moonshine and went straight into his living room. He needed a drink to calm his nerves. Instead of one he had several and fell fast asleep. His grandfather clock struck 12 times to wake him up.
A Native American Chief stood in front of him. “Who are you?” asked Farmer Brown. “I am Chief Windotte. I was sent to you to help you find your way. You are coming with me. I have something to show you.” The Chief waved his war lance three times around his head.
The next thing Farmer Brown knew he was standing outside of a church that had only a few people in it. He could hear Pastor Joseph say, “I tried to help this poor soul, but he wouldn’t listen. He was afraid of his father. He became sad and hated being alive. He loved only one thing. A wonderful woman named Wind Song.
They could have had a long life together, but he will be buried next to her. She died of loneliness just like him. Chief Windotte waved his war lance. The next scene was a tombstone. He read the inscription on the tombstone. “Our Beloved Wing Song.” Farmer Brown couldn’t read anymore. All he could do was think of what could have been but not what would have been.
A flash of light blinded him again. When he could see clearly, he saw Chief Windotte. “The Big Turkey you call Tom is the sacred bird of my tribe. He tried to tell you, but you never listened. Your heart was cold and full of hate for your father. Tomorrow is all you will have. Make the most of it or your life will be wasted.
The next morning, he woke up. He ran to the barn. He opened the cage and asked Tom, “What should I do?” Tom said, “Take me to the Parade. She will be there.”
Farmer Brown took Tom and got in his pickup. He drove to town. The Thanksgiving Parade was going to start. Everyone saw that he had brought Tom. Farmer Brown looked up on the final float that always was reserved for Tom and the Parade Marshall. There she was. She was the Parade Marshall. He saw Victor who was in charge of the Parade.
“Can I hold Tom and sit by the Parade Marshall?” he asked. Victor said, “Yes, you can. It’s about time. I would suggest to you not to make it only one time but a lifetime?” Farmer Brown didn’t care how Victor knew about Wind Song. He jumped on the float.
Wind Song looked up from her Parade Marshall’s Chair. “How come you are here? But I am glad you decided to bring Tom. What made you come?” Farmer Brown replied,
“I made a big mistake not marrying you. I listened to my father instead of my heart. My father was a very prejudiced man. He said that he would disown me if I married you because you were not of his kind. I was too weak to go against him. I was afraid he would do something bad to us. I only did what he said to protect you. He was wrong and I was wrong. In the last two days, I had visions and now I see how stupid I was. How can you forgive me?”
Wind Song replied, “I too had visions many years ago. Those visions told me to wait for you. My Grandfather Chief Windotte told me in a dream he would make you see the light. I forgive you Farmer Brown.” Farmer Brown gave Tom to Wind Song. “I want to marry you if you will have me.” Wind Song said, “Yes! I believe your heart is pure. My grandfather told me that you did what you did to protect me. He knew you were too ashamed to ask me to marry you after you father died.”
Suddenly Tom Turkey flew out of Wind Song’s arms way into the sky above the Parade never to be seen again. Some people said that they saw Tom fly into the arms of a Native American Chief standing on a cloud above the Thanksgiving Parade just before the cloud disappeared.
That’s the legend of Tom Turkey. One other thing, every Thanksgiving after that a large Turkey would fly over the parade and disappear. Thanks for coming. Enjoy your gift of today. Have a great day!
Having said that, let’s share breakfast beverage some Native American Proverbs. The Proverbs of today go like this:
“You must speak straight so that your words may go as sunlight into the heart.”
“When you see a new trail or a footprint you do not know follow it to the point of knowing.”
Thanks for coming. Enjoy your gift of today. Have a great day. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow.
