Behind the Steel Curtain
It’s Thanksgiving Day, a holiday for families and loved ones around America to come together, be thankful, and share a very large meal. My early Thanksgiving memories always involved driving down to Pittsburgh (well, southern suburbs anyway), visiting both my mom’s side and dad’s side as well as various relations. Turkey, fixings, and pierogis at every stop. It was day to catch up with family.
As a kid, I didn’t fully appreciate how lucky I was to be surrounded by family and warmth every where I went. Now that the days of my grandmas and their hosting have long passed, I both miss them and am thankful that I got to experience those times. This year, I am grateful for many things but especially these four:
1. Hard working Pittsburgh roots: My grandfathers spent some time working in the steel mills as well as mechanic shops. My grandmas worked in factories during WWII. My dad even spent a year or two at a foundry/steel mill. I may not have lived in Pittsburgh, but I feel that the grit of the city is in my blood. “Work hard and you’ll succeed” has been ingrained in me, and what success I’ve found has always required effort whether literal elbow grease or the mental variety.
2. Modern cancer treatments: Unfortunately, cancer also runs in my family. I lost an aunt in the mid 90s. Fortunately, by the time my mom and her other sisters was diagnosed a decade later, treatments improved. My mom has since survived 3 cancers, and is now fighting her 4th. A routine screening that they took an expanded scan found two different masses detected extremely early just weeks ago. As technology improved, so too have the odds of detecting and beating cancer. It’s why I’m still sharing TG with my mom today and hopeful I will again next year. Which leads to my 3rd thing…
3. Family: From my parents and brother to my wife and daughter to my uncles, cousins and their children and their children’s children, I am grateful to have so many loved ones in my life. It’s not my only family…
4. The BTSC community: I have been an on and off again member for many years, but in the last few years, particularly since COVID, I have my found family of Steelers fans. The website may change, writer and editors come and go, but the community is still the best on the web. We may not agree on everything, but this is the only place for “thoughtful discussion with a sense of history.”
And so, I wish all of you at BTSC a Happy Thanksgiving!
Today’s NFL games to enjoy with Turkey and a side of gravy:
