Happy, happy Thanksgiving, friends! This day is one of my favorites, hands-down. The aroma of a roasting turkey always brings me back to Thanksgiving Day at my grandparents’ house. My papa was the cook, apron and all, and every time I smell the rich scent of turkey, I think of him and my nana, too, who always let my sister and me use the silver and her very best porcelain tea cups. Nana taught me how to set a proper table, how to use the miniature silver tongs to drop sugar cubes delicately into my cup without splashing and how to sip tea with my pinkie finger raised in the air just so.
My parents are in town visiting this week, and it’s so, so good to have plentiful quality time with them. As much as I have grown to love Nebraska, the one thing I deeply miss is my family. I try not to complain about it too much, because frankly, I can’t change the situation, but I miss my parents and my sister in the day-to-day, ordinary comings and goings of life.
I wanted to tell you, too, that I won’t be around the blog quite as much from now through the end of the year. Last year I took a holiday hiatus from Thanksgiving until the New Year, and I have to say, it was lovely. Our to-do list tends to increase exponentially during the holidays, what with shopping and wrapping and decorating and baking and all, and it just makes sense to scale back on the writing in order to accommodate the extra responsibilities, and, more importantly, to soak up the bounty of the season. I hope you’ll find some ways to do that, too — as my pastor has said in the past, “Give presence over presents.” I love that – here’s to 2015 as the Season of Presence.
Before I sign off to go scrounge bits of dough from Brad’s pie-making extravaganza, I just want to say thank you for your presence here all year long. Your comments, emails, tweets and shares mean so much to me, and even if you don’t say a word, just knowing you are quietly reading makes me feel so profoundly grateful. So thank you. Not a day goes by that I don’t appreciate you.
May the Lord bless you and keep you on this Thanksgiving and always, friends.
Peace and Love,
Michelle
Michelle, I agree: Thanksgiving is such a beautiful holiday and is chocked full of so many family memories like those beautiful ones with your grandparents–for me, many of which revolve around my mother’s feast and how I used to get to “help” (mostly snitching samples of dressing and pie dough when she wasn’t looking–or when she was. but she never seemed to mind). Now we are the forgers of the feast, and we’ve made some things ahead, like the turkey stock and my famous pumpkin bread (actually, whose recipe came to us courtesy of a phone-bill insert, which I presume was to make the charge more palatable– spicy pumpkin bread has a way of doing that.) I will make a couple of pies today (maybe to rival Brad :-), but not my grandmother who always made at least twelve!) In later years we went to Thanksgiving at her old homestead, where five of her single siblings all lived together. The whole extended family gathered there. The second year Michael and I were married (now, forty this coming Sunday), with trepidation, we asked my great aunts and uncles if they would like to come to our house for Thanksgiving. We didn’t want to appear presumptuous or to spoil their special tradition. But I can’t tell you the relief I saw in their faces. They were thrilled that the younger generation was able and willing to do the honors. Now, nearly forty years later, we are still doing it. Sadly, they have all passed on, the but aroma of those days still lingers and wafts me back to the wonder of them. They were high-spirited, funny as all get out, opinionated, good-hearted, and generous to a fault. I miss them more than I can say, but we also appreciate the new generation, recently increased with the arrival of two great-grandchildren.
Enjoy your time with your beloved parents and all your family, Michelle. I know how thankful you are for them, and I know they feel the same–adding am amble dose of pride for all you are doing. Also enjoy your break. You deserve it. How you and others write so much, so regularly, I will never know. But it is truly appreciated by me, and I am thankful for your giftedness, grit, wisdom, and warmth . . . and I daresay, your friendship across the cyber miles.
Much love,
Lynn
Enjoy your break, Michelle, and have a marvelous Thanksgiving Day with your loved ones! Blessings!
“Give presence over presents.”
I love that too, Michelle!
Blessings to you and yours during this holiday season!!
Think you are so wise to “gift” yourself with less posting so that you can be there more for and with your family, friends, and community.
So thankful for as Lynn put it – “your giftedness, grit, wisdom, and warmth.”
Would like to share a quote from my perpetual calendar that was meaningful to me today:
“To be grateful is to recognize the love of God in everything
He has given us – and He has given us everything. Every breath we
draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence a gift of grace.” Thomas Merton
Gratefully,
Katie
Have a wonderful ‘family’ filled holiday season and come back refreshed and ready to write and enjoy those who ‘walk’ alongside you and cheer you on. Happy Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
Happy Thanksgiving, Michelle!