Thanksgiving Day is a week away. I say fatten the turkey and full steam ahead! Time's awasting and I've got to get on the case if I'm going to be ready in time.
I just love Thanksgiving. I think it's my favorite time of year. The trees are turning and the air is crisp. The firewood is neatly stacked behind the garage; it just feels like a time to cozy in and spend time together. No matter that leaves need to be raked, flowers gathered, and napkins ironed. I love that as a grandmother I don't worry about those things nearly as much as I used to. What I really care about is just being together.
When I think of the first Thanksgiving, I'm pretty sure that I would not have made a very good Pilgrim. Those people were hardy, tough, determined. They worked hard against insurmountable odds. I know that a part of me is spoiled and would never choose such a situation. And yet maybe, just maybe, if faced with those same circumstances, I might have been heartier than I think. I sure hope so.
What I really love is that as a nation we have set aside a day to thank God for our blessings: our families, friends, freedoms, opportunities. What a great reminder that we live in the greatest country in the world. What a great time to take stock of our blessings and verbalize them to the next generation.
As the pilgrims gathered together to give thanks for their safe passage to the new world, their fruitful harvest and freedom, they also shared their thanksgiving festival with the Indians that had befriended them. What a great example of sharing our bounty with not only friends and family but with those that are put in our path.
This year I will have Thanksgiving in my home surrounded by four generations of family. How lucky can one woman be? I confess I'm not so wild about shopping for groceries and baking those pies,cakes, and casseroles to freeze ahead. I sure miss my mother-in-law for she was the best at Thanksgiving. A small town woman, this is where she shined. She was so organized, effiecient, and determined that by the time we got there she had it all done ahead of time.
But now it's my turn. As the matriarch of the family, passing down the tradition of hospitality and thanksgiving is one of my greatest honors. As I anticipate the celebration, I cannot yet imagine all of the things that will happen. The laughter and stories, the food that is mis-timed, the spilled milk and sticky hands.
But I also can't anticipate the surprise blessings that will come in my path. That's what I am keeping my eyes and ears open for this year - the surprises. Who can anticipate them? Like a child in a candy store. I can't wait to report when it's over.
Just as you can count on the sun coming up everyday, you can also count on blessings at Thanksgiving. That's what makes it so much fun. So happy thanksgiving and hang in there. After all the toil and labor, the best, the surprise blessings, are yet to come!
Gobble, gobble, gobble. Can't wait, can you?
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