Some Thoughts at Thanksgiving

The turkey is roasting in the oven. My table is set, the rooms are clean, the rest of the food is waiting to be cooked. My oldest son is snoring in his bed; his siblings are silent at this time.

I'm thinking about Thanksgiving this year and Thanksgivings past. Some things remain the same, some things have changed. Last year my oldest son was living in a dorm room, now he's home. Last year was the first year without my mother and of course that cast a shadow on this holiday. Last year I had no job, no steady source of income, this year I do.

We lose things, we lose people. We gain things, we gain new friends. (Sometimes we gain some weight.) It's the ebb and flow of life, year after year. And so it's time to once again remember to give thanks for all the good things we do have in life. I think we humans too often focus on the things we don't have.

I'm thankful for my husband and kids, my sisters and their families. I'm thankful for the parents I once had, who are no longer with us, who raised me and taught me good values. I see parts of them in myself from time to time when I suddenly make a statement they made in the past. Oh they're still here really, living on in their four daughters.  My mother's silverware is lovingly placed beside my china on our dining room table. My father's bedroom bureau now holds my youngest son's clothes and treasures.

We'll make new memories every year as we go forward. It's my table and my traditions now and I know my children are watching what I do and say, and down the road they'll remember all the things I did to make their holiday special and memorable.

Ah, just smell that turkey!

Happy Thanksgiving to you!