I was at the office this morning when I received an urgent phone call from my son, Jonathan.

The first words I remember from him were, "Dad, where are you?"

He asked because, in about 20 minutes, he and his brothers were leaving the house to play in our annual Thanksgiving Day Turkey Bowl football game and wanted to see if I would be playing.

Every year, it has been a Taylor tradition to gather the guys and have fun in a Turkey Bowl game on the morning of Thanksgiving.

My earliest remembrance of this classic football game was when I was a young boy (around 1973) playing with my brothers and all the neighborhood kids on 170th Street in Lawndale, CA.

It became super competitive during my high school and college years (one year a fight broke out) and then started becoming more toned down and amiable again in my adult years.

Although the customary game occurs annually, it has taken on a distinctive look each year.

Some years we have had over forty guys where multiple games are going on at the same time, while other years there have been around a half dozen guys or so (see the picture above I took of this morning's game).

One of the most memorable Turkey Bowls was when I was newly married/newly employed, living in Ohio, and playing on Huron High School's football field that was covered in a blanket of snow from endzone to endzone.

That particular year, the senior pastor of our church, Pastor Bill (who was in his late 50s at the time), went out for a pass and pulled a hamstring.

It must have been a career-ending injury as I do not ever recall seeing him at another Turkey Bowl.

Anyway, when my son called this morning, it was assumed and expected that I was going to play.

However, his assumptions and expectations were different from mine.

To be honest, the game did not even occupy a thought in my mind.

I was thinking about all the work I wanted to get done this morning and the unfinished tasks that have piled up on my list this past week.

Having the morning off was a perfect opportunity to get some of this done.

I was also thinking about getting in a little R&R after I was done with those tasks and then partaking in a little leisurely reading.

My son's phone call shattered all those lofty plans.

I immediately wrote off the idea, thinking it would be a much wiser choice to protect not only my personal time but also my susceptible and 'not so elastic' hamstrings.

I thought it would be best not to play.

And then it dawned on me...

How many more phone calls will I get from one of my sons asking me to play in a Turkey Bowl?

I also realized my remaining Turkey Bowl games are not as plentiful as they used to be, so perhaps I best jump at the opportunity while I still have some life in these old legs.

We all ended up playing and it was the most competitive fun I have had in a long time.

I felt like I was sixteen again and for a moment in time, I did not feel like I was fifty-six.

Afterward, I was thankful for the opportunity to participate, and it got me thinking about all the other 10,000 reasons for which I'm grateful on this Thanksgiving Day.

One of the reasons I am thankful is having the opportunity to service your chiropractic and health needs as we would not be in existence without you.

Many of you have helped shape Taylor Chiropractic & Laser Center into what it is today, and we are so grateful for the relationship we have with you!

Thank you for allowing us to be a small part of your health team, and may God richly bless you now and in the years to come.

Happy Thanksgiving!
- Dr. Derek 'thankful I did not pull a hamstring today' Taylor

PS: Our annual Patient Appreciation Day this past Monday was so much fun that we want to extend our appreciation with our annual Christmas Pie Giveaway next month. More details to follow.