Thanksgiving Dinner

Family

Card games 

Age range 1 1/2 yr - 77 yr

Parents

Gymnastics

Wooden blocks

Art projects

Cabbage rolls

Sausage

Grand-dad

Carrots and pirogies

Rhubarb pie

Conversation

Toddler watch!

Happy and grateful

“Family is not an important thing. It’s everything.”

~ Michael J. Fox

Gifted

Waking to the drizzle and drop of rain 

I thought of the trees given 

a last drink of water of autumn.  

When the rain turned to snow, 

whipped about by fierce winds, 

I was secure in the warmth of my home.

When granola, warm and spicy, 

comes out of the oven, 

I am blessed with its goodness.

Abundance is a gift I am grateful for. 

If I compare my home to others 

I am neither wealthy nor destitute.

“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, 

it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.”

A.A. Milne,  Winnie-the-Pooh

What Can I Say?

What can I say about gratitude at the end of this Thanksgiving weekend? It is not that I can forget about being grateful for the rest of the year now. I’ve ‘done’ being grateful now, have done my job and can go on my way to the rest of my life? No. Definitely not. Thanksgiving weekend, despite its historically engineered roots, has become so much more for many of us. It’s like an ‘awareness weekend’ when, even if it’s spend alone, the focus is on gratitude. That feeling of thankfulness for whatever is in our lives. It can be very tough to be grateful if life situations are, quite frankly, horrible. I do remember a man I cared for many years ago who had severe, end stage ALS. He could only breathe as long as the electric tilt table he was on was teetering his breath in and out. I do not remember his name, only his smile and the welcome that he gave to everyone ~ friends, staff, family ~ each time someone came into his room. He shared his strength and wisdom with us all with gentleness and with gratitude. Gratitude for what he had in the present moment. He is only one of the people that are examples to me in my life that have showed me a daily practice of gratitude. Thanksgiving weekend gives us all an opportunity to gather together to share with each other. Of course, in my sons homes that sharing includes delicious, family favourite foods around a dinner table with friends and family. Although my youngest son is the expert turkey chef, we all in our various ways prepare accompanying foods, set the table, or provide the ambience of family. I say 'ambience of family' because, around the table last evening, we were all family in spirit. 

When we come away from this time of board games, walks with the dogs and delicious food, we are full. Full of turkey and stuffing, gravy and cabbage rolls, Brussel sprouts and Greek salad, breads and tarts, a variety of tasty beverages. More importantly, full of gratitude and the brilliance of human kindness. (All underscored by the patience of our pets, who shared turkey bites and were very grateful.) I’ll not expect that I won’t have days or maybe only moments when I pout or whine, but I have learned to take a deep breath (or more than one deep breath) and be grateful for what is.

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember 

that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”

~ Epicurus

A Thanksgiving Treat with John Fogerty

Stories about cute kittens are fun to write. Stories about how my grand dogs and this new grand kitty are getting along ~  also fun to write. (And the pictures are so much clearer!)  But, trust me, last evening was a real Thanksgiving treat! My sons bought me a ticket to John Fogerty’s 50th Tour at Roger’s Arena here in Vancouver. I haven’t been to a concert for many years, and definitely not a rock concert with my sons and their friends. The stadium was filled with many of us from the boomer population and a throng of younger enthusiasts (anyone under seven decades, I consider younger). John Fogerty, previously well known in Creedence Clearwater Revival and a self-professed proud American celebrated his musicality, his enthusiasm and his patriotism in this amazing evening, transporting us all to another time and place in musical history. Pre-show, a young woman in hippie garb complete with a circlet of flowers, set the mood while she danced up, down and around blowing iridescent bubbles over the audience. I’m having difficulty describing all the songs of the sixties, the history and songs from  CCR’s Woodstock experience, the scenic flower power backdrops or historical footage surrounding the music. The incredible power, versatility and musicality of the keyboardist, drummer, accompanying guitarists, saxophonist and vocalists! Cell phones in the air taking videos and pictures. Hands waving in the air, fingers in the V of peace symbols held high. From the ceiling, pink and purple paper flowers fluttering over the dancing, singing audience (I caught and stuffed some in my purse). John Fogerty gave us a steady, energetic performance flinging his music over, and generously sharing his microphone with a crowd that accompanied him, if not in our own musicality, in enthusiastic voice and number. Special mention of all his band and singers was punctuated by two special musicians ~ both of his sons. His son, Shane Fogerty, a talented and energetic guitarist, plays with his dad John’s band and his son Tyler Fogerty, rocked a singular vocal performance in his dad’s set.

All in all it was a wonderful, dancing, singing, joyful evening. Thank you, thank you my wonderful sons for this excellent experience in living and loving.

“I’m much more energetic now; you might say 

live performance is my mission.”

~ John Fogerty

Taste of Thanksgiving

Taste of Thanksgiving

Surprisingly, he was a very good cook. I say ‘surprisingly’ because a stereotype had taken over. As soon as I saw him striding towards the back door ~ grubby overalls, an old leather, sweat stained stetson that sat back on his dirt stained forehead, work boots he had to leave outside because they were covered in sloppy mud ~ I had him pegged as someone who expected his supper to be on time and only to his liking.

Then he came downstairs after cleaning off the dirt and dust of a farmer’s active life in barn and field. Granted, even though he ‘cleaned up real good’, I was still curious to see how he could cook a turkey better than my own mother. I didn’t know how good his mother’s turkey cooking skills were so would have to wait for the taste test at supper. I didn’t have to wait that long to see how he moved in the kitchen. It was as though his movements had been choreographed - from refrigerator to cupboard to stove and back, chopping bacon, onions and mushrooms, deboning the turkey, brining it in buttermilk and putting it all together. Later that evening when friends and family were gathered round the table, the Taste was truly Thanksgiving.

“People don’t want other people to be people.”

~  Gene Wolfe,  Shadow & Claw

The Day After

John Hendry Park, Vancouver, BC

The day after Thanksgiving 

eating leftovers from the fridge, tidying cutlery and glasses, taking out garbage and recycling

quiet and reflective with

an open air motorcycle ride 

a crackling fire and a movie with pillows and a blanket

a stroll around Trout Lake

warm sunshine filtering through maples, cherry, spruce and oak, weeping willows and birch trees with gentle focus, we are grateful and happy.

“The most fortunate are those who have a wonderful capacity

 to appreciate again and again, freshly and naively, the basic 

goods of life with awe pleasure, wonder and even ecstasy.”

~ Abraham H. Maslow

Author's note: Edited February 17, 2024

Thanksgiving 2015

There are things to write about everyday. Sometimes not much, sometimes a lot. Today, little has changed with not much to say but so very much felt. This Thanksgiving, I worked with my sons in the kitchen ~ being their sous-chef. Wikipedia’s definition of a sous chef is ‘the second in command’ in a kitchen. However there were two chefs in the kitchen today ~ Jason who took charge of the turkey ~ deboned and brined by his own hand then barbecued , and Jeff who took charge of making both perogies and cabbage rolls ~ both from scratch. So I guess that made me an under sous chef or just doubling up on my duties.

No matter, the evening progressed beautifully with family, neighbours and friends arriving for visiting or for supper. Noise of chatter rose above music being played on the computer; appreciative groans as each dish was passed around and sampled. After a brief lull, time for dessert! More groans but valiant and successful efforts to taste it all.

Thanks, my sons, for a wonderful Thanksgiving!

“To watch a good cook work well on his station 

is to witness multitasking of the highest order.”

~ Michael Gibney, Sous chef: 24 Hours on the Line

Abundance

Potatoes are peeled
pot’s on to boil
cake and pies have been made
turkey all dressed for the oven 

Family and friends
gather round tomorrow eve
for a home made feast 
laughter and chatter will fill any gaps!

Over years of Thanksgivings
many changes there’ve been
but bonds of the heart
each Thanksgiving are born or renewed.

“When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see 

that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.”

~ Kahlil Gibran

Cloud Drift

On this Thankgiving Monday,

thoughts of detachment wander through my mind.

They seem quite unfitting 

when gratitude should be the theme.

Yet like drifts of wayward clouds on a sunny day

detachment calls my attention.

Detachment ~

with passing time

people, places, things that may

have been delightful or sad

given peace or fury,

give way to other people, places and things

Many times, my heartstrings stretched, but never gave way.

Detachment as simple or complex as 

a leaf letting go from a branch

the coupling on train cars separating

a letter slipped through the mailbox slot.

waving good by at a station

children growing up and away.

Ah...but there is benefit to detachment

once the heartstrings stop thrumming so loudly.

Opportunities open to new 

growth

connections

communication

welcome home

achievements

The list can go on ....................

So on this Thanksgiving day ~

My gratitude is for the lesson of detachment ~

expansion of life, career and family.

“In detachment lies the wisdom of uncertainty......”

~ Deepak Chopra