Gearing Up for Giving Thanks...

For the past few days my thoughts have not only turned to grocery lists and recipes, but also the gratitude and appreciation for life's gifts that seems to descend upon me this time of year. I absolutely LOVE Thanksgiving and while that hasn't always been the case, in the past few years it has become a pleasant little holiday for my kids and myself. Both Lilly and Stuart would claim it is one of their favorites. Every year is a little different but since I have claimed cooking and decided that regardless of how many people gather around my table, I really like to be home--Thanksgiving has become a wonderful holiday.

I think that part of what has become so wonderful about Thanksgiving is that while it has taken me many years of adulthood to claim autonomy and get control over my life, I am finally very much the person and parent I was meant to be. I have been attempting to embrace both talents and flaws--there is nothing like middle age and a house full of maturing teenagers and young adults to force a person to get good and comfortable with who she really is! I enjoy the opportunity to take stock, give thanks, and celebrate all the abundance and comfort I have come to appreciate.

There are things I do well and those that I do not do well at all. There is something about this time of year that helps me to appreciate things as they are, and not how I might have wished they would be. So, as I pour over recipes and make trips to the store, I am also thinking about all of the elements of my life and how they come together perfectly--especially when I get out the way and just embrace what IS!