Thanksgiving always brings memories for me of years of turkey dinners with little children at my feet. For many years I have been the one cooking the turkey dinner for our family and I love the atmosphere the day creates at home. As our children have grown they have begun to create more and more of the food but the menu rarely changes. The old standbys of squash and apple bake, multiple pumpkin pies to address the various dietary needs, delicious potatoes mashed with dairy free/ gluten free butter and rice milk, and stuffing made with rice instead of bread crumbs. For over 25 years this has been the recipe for our festive dinners and everyone loves it. As new members have been added to our family they have graciously come to love these traditional dishes, as well. Yes, our menu has a few changes from the traditional ones but it doesn't matter one bit. We have found ways to embrace what we need and have made it work in a fun and joyful way. We are living proof that it is possible to change your diet and still have fabulous food and a wonderful time.
This year as I watched our grown children create amazing food that adjusted to everyone's needs so no one felt excluded or different, I smiled a particularly proud smile. Our daughter made a special dessert that was perfect for my diet and I was the beneficiary of the care of our grown family. Our son and daughter in law made the veggies and cranberry and our grandsons even designed the table center for me. They did much of the work as I was out of town and loved every minute of it. They appeared in the afternoon with dishes and ingredients in hand and had a wonderful afternoon creating together. I was given the best job of all, however, - to play with our two little grandsons. Alex loved Thanksgiving and was so excited about the polka dot birthday cake he and his mom had made for his Auntie Jodie and Gabriel shrieked with delight as he took his first few steps on his own.
I love Thanksgiving for so many reasons. It is the weekend our now 24 year old daughter was born and I remember the day as if it was yesterday. The food is delicious and it is usually the first time since the summer that most of us are able to gather together for a meal. As happens with most families, however, we often miss someone and this year our son Steve is working in Bolivia until Christmas. We missed his laughter and ability to eat an entire pumpkin pie on his own but he called from across the world to say hi to us all. We are so proud of what he is doing.
As I said grace on Sunday I felt most blessed. The family that Ken and I have nourished for over 32 years was sitting around our table laughing and celebrating together. The experience of watching them share stories, encourage each other and play with the two little boys who loved having an audience made both Ken and I so very thankful. While we have had some adversity in our 35 years of marriage as we have raised this family we have weathered the storms and celebrated the successes and now feel simply blessed by it all.
What am I most thankful for? Hmmm It is difficult to put into words. I think it is just for the experience of living and thriving through it all. It hasn't always been easy nor has it always been difficult. Life is about the ups and downs and all those "regular" moments in between. One of the things I am learning to do more at this stage of my life is to be more mindful of the moments. I am more aware of the small pieces of my day. My life is busy and rich but I mindfully stop at regular intervals to simply experience fully whatever I am doing. Yesterday as I walked in the sunshine behind the electric John Deer Gator that our grandson was driving down the sidewalk collecting leaves for Thanksgiving, I savoured the moment. He was so full of enthusiasm and excitement he was bursting and his joy was contagious. This is the way I want to live my life - fully experiencing the moments with fewer regrets about yesterday and fewer worries about tomorrow. I already have two wonderful little role models to learn from and I pray we have many more over the years. It takes me back to the joy I felt as we raised our own children except now I have a little more time and a lot more wisdom to remember to enjoy the ride as I go.
I pray that you, too, found something to be grateful for this weekend and that you can carry the energy of that into the next year. The moments pass quickly so savour them and create rich and meaningful traditions for your family and friends along the way.
This beautiful picture was taken by Linda Wilson, a friend of mine, and it captures perfectly for me the sense of peace and calm I am seeking as I go off on another silent retreat this weekend.
