Thanksgiving Day!

It has been a beautiful Thanksgiving Day.
Truly beautiful.
The kind of day where you breath in and it feels rich and expansive and satisfying. The kind of day where you breath out and it's light and peaceful and you're totally in the moment, fully alive and fully aware.
It's been that kind of day for me.
A beautiful Thanksgiving Day.

We didn't get to travel home to Ohio to be with family. But I know they were together and that blessed me.

And we didn't have company over, nor visit dear friends. But Carl didn't have to work, so he, Olivia and I prepared Mom's famous homemade stuffing together and laughed (and gagged) as we stuffed the bird.


We felt perfectly content to park ourselves lazily in front of the television for three whole hours as we took in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.


The kids laughed and played (okay, and sparred) together as they waited for the early dinner to come.

And I almost literally drank in the blessing of lots and lots of sunshine streaming in through our windows (we have four windows across the south wall of our family room so we get wonderful light through them.) The near-winter weather was perfect, reaching mid 40's, with nothing more than an occasional light breeze.

Just before 4 o'clock, we gathered around a near perfect meal (if I do say so myself) and that also richly blessed me.
My husband was home.
My children are healthy.
I brought out the special occasion holiday linens and china.
We ate "fancy" in the family room amid the glow of candlelight.
Turkey.
Stuffing.
Gravy.
Mashed potatoes.
Sweet potatoes.
Green beans.
Corn.
Cranberry sauce.
Black olives.
Soy nog and soy pumpkin nog.
Homemade pumpkin pie and whipped cream.
Coffee.
Oh, and the turkey turned out moist and golden brown and oh-so-delish.


I was also blessed by a husband that followed closely behind me all day. Now, you might think, "He would be in the way," but I didn't think that at all, as he busied himself blessing my socks off by cleaning all dishes, pots, pans and utensils as I used them. How wonderful it was to be able to clean my entire post-dinner mess in about 20 minutes, thanks to his thoughtful help.

And because he did that, we had time to take a perfect walk to let our stomachs settle. The sun was setting and, oh how I wish you could have seen my view of the sky in that moment. Carl took the kids walking through the remnants of high summer grasses (they love to do that) while I just stood there on the trail, taking in the most breathtaking sunset sky. It appeared as thousands of pillows of peachy pink against a soft blanket of baby blue. Along the edge of those clouds was the most gorgeous shade of pale golden yellow. And beyond that, violet. The black silouettes of barren trees against that display of color was the crown on my day. I could have stood there forever, but it faded in what seemed an instant. How truly blessed I am for having captured that light in my mind's eye for always.

I tend to be fully aware of the "always" moments, aware that very specific events or moments in time will be with me for all my days. Standing there, beholding God's creation and feeling Him present in that very moment, will be with me always. As I recall the Thanksgivings of the past, this memory will come. Just as the memory of flying home on the red-eye from California, the night before Thanksgiving day, to be with my family, seated next to one of my dearest friends as we chatted the night away, will always be with me.

It has truly been a beautiful Thanksgiving day.
Here's hoping that you have captured some special moment in your memory bank for years to come as well.
Happy Thanksgiving, all!

Toni