Our CSM team at IEW was recently challenged to start contributing to the blog by each of us writing a post. It sounded simple enough at the time, but when it came around to me to write my blogpost, my nerves started knocking. Honestly, attempting to bribe one of my fellow colleagues to write it for me briefly crossed my mind. However, due to their high prices—five pounds of chocolate plus lunch or another unnamed favor, this option quickly grew to be as steep a price as the agony of writing. So, here I am now, conquering my fear, hopefully growing more proficient in writing, and following in the footsteps of my fearless manager, Kristin. Keyboard, here I come! Thankfully earlier in the day during a conversation with my cubicle buddy, inspiration finally hit! Following one of my great loves for many years, I decided to share a poem. It took some time to find an appropriate one, but at last I found one that I felt conveyed accurately my feelings on the Thanksgiving season. With great delight, I offer this wonderful, heartfelt, and cozy poem, â€Å"Thanksgiving† by Edgar Guest.                     Thanksgiving                  by Edgar Guest                  Gettin’ together to smile an’ rejoice,                  An’ eatin’ an’ laughin’ with folks of your choice;                  An’ kissin’ the girls an’ declarin’ that they                  Are growin’ more beautiful day after day;                  Chattin’ an’ braggin’ a bit with the men,                  Buildin’ the old family circle again;                  Livin’ the wholesome an’ old-fashioned cheer,                  Just for awhile at the end of the year.                  Greetings fly fast as we crowd through the door                  And under the old roof we gather once more                  Just as we did when the youngsters were small;                  Mother’s a little bit grayer, that’s all.                  Father’s a little bit older, but still                  Ready to romp an’ to laugh with a will.                  Here we are back at the table again                  Tellin’ our stories as women an’ men.                  Bowed are our heads for a moment in prayer;                  Oh, but we’re grateful an’ glad to be there.                  Home from the east land an’ home from the west,                  Home with the folks that are dearest an’ best.                  Out of the sham of the cities afar                  We’ve come for a time to be just what we are.                  Here we can talk of ourselves an’ be frank,                  Forgettin’ position an’ station an’ rank.                  Give me the end of the year an’ its fun                  When most of the plannin’ an’ toilin’ is done;                  Bring all the wanderers home to the nest,                  Let me sit down with the ones I love best,                  Hear the old voices still ringin’ with song,                  See the old faces unblemished by wrong,                  See the old table with all of its chairs                  An’ I’ll put soul in my Thanksgivin’ prayers. Strangely, this poem is almost an epic picture of Shopen celebrations. Our voices grow louder as the numbers mount, rolling and rolling upon each other as we all enter through the door. Siblings gather from homes throughout the country, both near and far, taking joyful refuge at the Clear Creek Monastery Guest House. When a family outgrows the home as quickly as ours did, it soon requires a â€Å"destination† Thanksgiving. Reading through the poem as I write this, I can’t help but smile. Oh, the joy of family! Even though it may take a week to recover from these gatherings, I can’t wait to be reunited once again with family and begin settling into this new, beautiful holiday season. May you and yours be abundantly blessed in the months to come!    Lucy Shopen  is the youngest of seven. She homeschooled for many years and went on to receive her BFA in Dance from the University of Kansas. Since then she has worked in Kansas, traveled Europe and Great Britain, and been a small chicken farmer, au pair, dance teacher, and missionary. She has now happily landed in Oklahoma and is excited to work with the IEW Customer Service team.