Thanksgiving

Tis that time of year again. That uniquely American holiday is upon us.  Thanksgiving.  The stores are filled with holiday cooking items and even Christmas trees adorn the entrances.  We are in full fledged holiday mode.

Waking early this morning, I found myself reflecting on the rapidly approaching holiday season.  As I sat on the back porch, sipping my favorite coffee blend, I thought about Thanksgiving.

We are taught as children that the first Thanksgiving was shared between those brave Pilgrims and the native Indians.  We saw in our elementary school textbooks pictures of a feast and really nothing more.  People sitting around a table, eating and sharing time together.  Of course back at that first Thanksgiving, it was an effort to build a cooperative between two cultures.  It was a leap of faith and a token gesture wrapped with the hope of survival.

Today, we are bombarded with "how tos" and "you shoulds" and "having the perfect meal" notions.  There is stress in the holidays.  I rather like the idea that as long as you are gathered around a table with those you love and care about, it is already the perfect meal.

As we gather around the feasting table on Thursday to celebrate yet another Thanksgiving, we do indeed have much to be thankful for.  Thankful that all the chairs are filled with family we love and adore.  Thankful there are no empty chairs this year and no losses that come to steal the day.  Thankful for the food before us and the effort that went into its preparation.  Thankful for the comfort of a home filled with love and laughter.  Thankful for the children that give promise to many more Thanksgivings to come.  Thankful for yet another opportunity to hold a hand and feel the touch of family.

Personally, my gratitude is boundless.  In this year of extraordinary drought and fires, one can only look to the many blessings we enjoy every day.  The sublime cup of coffee in the morning, the quiet of the house before everyone awakes, the sunrise giving light to yet another day and so much more.  I am eternally grateful that little Max, the lost kitten, has found a permanent home and a family to call his own.  I am grateful for yet another day to gaze upon my children and grandchildren, to hear their voices and to know the day is filled with  promise.  Come good or bad, it is another day, a blessing denied many.

Too bad we are only reflective of our gratitude during the holidays.  Too bad our hard days throughout the year are wished away as quickly as the tick of a clock.  Too bad we don't take more time to be thankful.

Perhaps if we did take time to reflect each day, those hard days would seem less harsh, the demands of life less heavy and the moments of our lives more rich.  It reminds me of a question I came across not long ago.

"What if you woke up this morning with only the things you thanked God for last night?"


I try to remember this "what if" daily.  I don't need a gratitude journal, I simply need a few moments to reflect, to appreciate and to be thankful. It doesn't take long and its far too simple yet we struggle to manage to remember one final task each day.

So to each and every one of you, I wish you time.  Time to be still and quiet.  Time to hear your own personal  thoughts and time to feel your life with your heart.  I wish you gentle peace and patience and joy.

Have a tender Thanksgiving and a holiday season filled with time.

One More Milestone

I guess I never realized how many milestones there are to a calendar year.  We think about the obvious holidays, birthdays and anniversaries.  But there are so many more during the course of the year.  Some we share, some are unique to our families and some are personal. 

Today was spent getting things ready for the next milestone.  This milestone hits most parents, most children, my family and me.  My day was filled with lists.  Tasks to be completed before the milestone which is scheduled for 7am tomorrow morning at our house.  The milestone is the end of summer.

Now Mother Nature doesn't know that summer is ending in 10 hours.  Oh no, she has dialed up some very hot temperatures for the week.  The burner is on high and the kettle is boiling. But that doesn't matter, the milestone is coming and it cares little for the antics of Mother Earth. 

How quickly the summer passed.  It sits like a road mile marker in our rear view mirrors.  Getting smaller with each passing  hour, each passing day.  School starts tomorrow and we will pass, in one giant chaotic leap, over the milestone and then in a day or two, summer will be gone from view. 

I gave it alot of thought today about this milestone.  The children advance a grade, the calendar year changes and we enter the 2011-12 school year.  My Son will be entering the sixth grade, my granddaughter the 2nd.
How quickly time is flying.  It flutters its wings and refuses to be contained.  Nothing can stop it and we must simple let it go and see where it takes us.  We truly are along for the ride, so hang on!

For those of you marking this milestone tomorrow, I wish you well.  I hope the children can find their socks and you remember where you put your keys.  May there be no separation tears and may the end of the day be filled with wonderful excitement and approval for a first day gone well.

Sleep well everyone.  The milestone cometh.

The Merits of Saturday

The last weekend before the school year begins.  What a week it has been.  Crazy busy and yet, there is something about being overly productive to make one sleep well at night.

Today, the last Saturday before we ring the bells and call the children to class for the first day of school, I worked a little more at the office.  The silence of the halls and of the office was relaxing.  It was easy to think.  I could walk over and talk to a coworker and not feel the pressure to hurry back to my chair and work station.  It was so peaceful, so nice.

I have done all I can do to prepare for Monday.  It will come and things will be fine.  Once again the first push of the wheel will begin the self propelling daily routine that is public education.

But this is my Saturday.

My brother, whom I love dearly, once told me that since he retired all his days are Saturdays.  What a wonderful concept!  He awakens to a Saturday morning every morning.  The days are his to fill or leave empty.  I can hardly imagine how that feels.  Sure, during my summer vacation, I get a good feel for that mindset.  And while I can tell myself that my vacation is six weeks of Saturdays, I know they come to an end in August.  I do not yet know the absolute joy of endless Saturdays.

Of my siblings, I am the only one not retired.  I am delighted they have managed to find a way to step off the hamster wheel of racing rats.  I am so glad they are able to fill their days with productivity of their choosing, their design.  I often think retirement is much like life long ago when people didn't work for an employer. Instead, they worked to sustain themselves.  They had gardens, prepared their own foods and lived their lives much in the confines of their property.  While the physical world tends to shrink when retired, thanks to technology, the world never does.  It seems from where I sit, retirement appears to be the best of both worlds.  Time to be productive, but time managed on your own terms.

My Saturday, today, was a filled with last minute work at the office followed by a quick trip to the local Producers Market.

It is my only Saturday for the next seven days.  I will keep working til all my days are Saturday and that's great incentive to keep going!  I can't wait to jump off the wheel!