Passing the River House on my bike ride this morning, I thought of the Thanksgiving dinners we used to have there with my mother, getting a table on the second floor overlooking the river. Today it sat empty, with notices on the doors, homeless men occupying the benches in front.
Over at the Sailboat Bend marina, a homeless man and a homeless woman sat talking at a picnic table. "Happy Thanksgiving," the man called to me as I rode past. I wished them the same.
Back in my neighborhood, I came upon a young woman on her morning jog. She was wearing earphones, so I gave her a happy holiday wave. She ignored me, dropping her gaze down toward the pavement as if trying to forget an obscene gesture.
