Those who read my stuff already know, I believe, my obsession with music. Music, at its finest, is heavens upon heavens greater than fiction. This is unfortunate and probably a shame but it’s true. Do I wish I was born with the talent to play the violin or keyboards or sick-ass Rolling Stones type lead guitar, I sure do. But I ain’t been blessed that way.

There's a genius named David Hume and he speaks of chance in life, that chance ain’t worth a shit. He likes answers to questions I imagine. I like this principle just fine how I like the character we study called Christ. That is, is that it’s perfectly debatable.

So let’s talk about chance. Every friend of mine puts down decent material (cash) on a sporting event. I have nothing against gambling and nothing against degeneracy and nothing against drugs—just as I have nothing against pretentious genius—nothing against the homeless and nothing against the weak or pathetic. Why would I, I myself am homeless, biblically speaking, and the quantity of souls on earth is literally mathematically without comprehension and yet the amount of souls on earth worth a damn is so small it's simple.

There’s moments on earth that can be measured without being measured. This is the stuff of music. Before I moved out West, I just knew it. Knew what, not real sure but I knew it. I had an Astral Weeks CD playing and Holy Moses I just knew it. It hit me like daddy God, hit me like falling in love. When I went that way, out West, Van Morrison's "Cypress Avenue " was playing through the stereo. One of them things. Chance. Was it worth a damn? Can only geniuses answer this?

I remember hearing Van Morrison as a child on the back deck on Sunday evenings while my dad drank a Guinness beer. My older brother figured out how to buzz-cut his own head thanks to our beautiful and super-creative mother, and then he'd buzz-cut my hair and our dad cooked the burgers and it was summer time and we were listening to Van Morrison’s Moondance Cd on the boom-box. And I know now I'll never be so young again and I know now Van Morrison was so old and yet so young too when he made that record, many, many years ago to be heard for many years to come.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCilaU3mmyo

Congratulations to QuietSilence, the "Thanksgiving Story" winner!

Keeping your work and using it for just the right challenge may be the best way to win, but I'm still surprised it was an old school assignment. I learned a couple of new things even as an adult. Keep up the good work!

You guys made it really difficult to choose this round. I'd like to mention some specific works so everyone can make sure to read them.

Honorable mentions:

A New Covid Holiday by Laylee (shines a positive light on quarantine)

Alfred by xculletto (a heartwarming story from a dog's perspective)

Thanksgiving Poetry by MaherAli (humble thanks, with pride)

Thank you to everyone who participated, and for the effort you all put in to make reading your entries a blast. I hope to see you all in the next challenge!