Typical. With all these posts about the Thanksgiving meal, the turkey, the various types of potatoes, the pumpkin this and the pumpkin that, I have overlooked the most important aspect of the holiday: gratitude.
Somehow, every year, I seem to get caught up in the recipes and the planning, the multiple trips to different grocery stores to find all the proper ingredients, the master schedule of when each dish is to be prepared. For all my worrying and list-making, I never feel as though I am totally on top of everything. And I am always distracted from the true meaning of this most meaningful holiday.
One year, when my oldest daughter was in kindergarten, I asked her to write a thank-you letter to God on Thanksgiving. My goal was really just to keep her busy and out of my hair. I gave her a piece of paper and some colored pencils, not expecting much from a child who was still learning to read and write. But the piece of artwork she created is now framed and hanging in our great room and I am touched every time I re-read the letter she wrote. She thanked God for the oceans (she spelled the word "oshins") and the whales. She thanked God for the seasons and the years. She thanked God for the food she had to eat. And she thanked God for her family. Around the border of her letter, she drew a series of colorful interpretations of all these important parts of her life. And though you might not recognize that blue shape as a whale unless you read the letter, I was and still am blown away by her careful and precise renditions, by the thought she put into both her writing and her drawings.
This year, my oldest daughter will be coming home from college for Thanksgiving. She is studying violin at a college not too far from our home. This week, I was able to attend her Chamber Music concert there and I heard her perform for the first time in months. My heart seemed about to burst as I watched and listened from the audience. The pride and joy were almost too great to bear. I wished I had thought of videotaping her quartet as the performance was very special. Once again, I realized how blessed I am to be able to witness her growth and development as a musician, a performer, and a person.
Luckily, I still have a daughter at home who fills the house with beautiful music (another violinist!) as well as plenty of sarcasm, eye-rolling, complaints about my cooking, and talking back. A real blessing! And a husband who keeps me sane and in good spirits most of the time. (Quite a job for one man!) Plus two dogs who lavish tons of affection and copious amounts of drool on me whenever I happen to be cooking anything made of meat. Life is really good.
So this Thanksgiving, I hope that you all are gathered with your loved ones, sharing a meal that you make together, enjoying each others' company and remembering to be thankful. No matter what you choose to eat, may you celebrate the holiday in good health and spirits.
Somehow, every year, I seem to get caught up in the recipes and the planning, the multiple trips to different grocery stores to find all the proper ingredients, the master schedule of when each dish is to be prepared. For all my worrying and list-making, I never feel as though I am totally on top of everything. And I am always distracted from the true meaning of this most meaningful holiday.
One year, when my oldest daughter was in kindergarten, I asked her to write a thank-you letter to God on Thanksgiving. My goal was really just to keep her busy and out of my hair. I gave her a piece of paper and some colored pencils, not expecting much from a child who was still learning to read and write. But the piece of artwork she created is now framed and hanging in our great room and I am touched every time I re-read the letter she wrote. She thanked God for the oceans (she spelled the word "oshins") and the whales. She thanked God for the seasons and the years. She thanked God for the food she had to eat. And she thanked God for her family. Around the border of her letter, she drew a series of colorful interpretations of all these important parts of her life. And though you might not recognize that blue shape as a whale unless you read the letter, I was and still am blown away by her careful and precise renditions, by the thought she put into both her writing and her drawings.
This year, my oldest daughter will be coming home from college for Thanksgiving. She is studying violin at a college not too far from our home. This week, I was able to attend her Chamber Music concert there and I heard her perform for the first time in months. My heart seemed about to burst as I watched and listened from the audience. The pride and joy were almost too great to bear. I wished I had thought of videotaping her quartet as the performance was very special. Once again, I realized how blessed I am to be able to witness her growth and development as a musician, a performer, and a person.
Luckily, I still have a daughter at home who fills the house with beautiful music (another violinist!) as well as plenty of sarcasm, eye-rolling, complaints about my cooking, and talking back. A real blessing! And a husband who keeps me sane and in good spirits most of the time. (Quite a job for one man!) Plus two dogs who lavish tons of affection and copious amounts of drool on me whenever I happen to be cooking anything made of meat. Life is really good.
So this Thanksgiving, I hope that you all are gathered with your loved ones, sharing a meal that you make together, enjoying each others' company and remembering to be thankful. No matter what you choose to eat, may you celebrate the holiday in good health and spirits.
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