I am Grateful for... Nov 27 '13

As the Thanksgiving holiday draws near, I am reminded to pause and reflect - to count my blessings - to recognize the goodness in my life.  This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for by:

Grandbaby-to-be - my first grandson is due any day now...

A glorious Thanksgiving feast, shared once again with aunts and uncles and cousins and brothers and sisters-in-law and children and lots of wee ones - so many families in our culture are fractured...by distance, by disagreements or misunderstandings, and sometimes, sadly, by death or real misfortune. My family is so very blessed to be together for Thanksgiving!

Turkey I - I love a good roasted turkey...the savory aroma, the golden crispy skin, the tender meat, the leftovers, turkey pie and turkey soup and all sorts of turkey dishes afterwards. How fortunate we are to have a local supply of inexpensive turkeys, when for some a turkey is an insurmountable cost...

Turkey  II - I earned a free turkey this year and gave it away to younger couple who were dumbfounded by the cost of a bird and were discussing they might stretch a chicken...they have no clue who gave them the free bird, the cashier helped me to pass along the kindness...(big smile)

Turkey III - There were years that the "free earned turkey" was the only way my famiy was going to have turkey at Thanksgiving, so I am grateful to the shops that offered this bonus. Yes, its a way to ensure sending loyalty...but if I am going to buy my groceries there anyway, why not toss in a turkey now and then?

Wee nieces and cousins to share Thanksgiving fun with - tomorrow, I will be happily gluing red and orange and yellow construction paper "feathers" onto brown "turkeys"...glue sticks will be glorified...crayons and paper will keep the grumpies at bay...and how lucky am I to have beautiful wee ones to share all the fun with?

Each year at Thanksgiving dinner, we go around the table and take turns sharing what we are grateful for. What are you grateful for?

I am Grateful for... Nov 18 '13

As the Thanksgiving holiday draws near, I am reminded to pause and reflect - to count my blessings - to recognize the goodness in my life.  This weekend, I was blessed by:

Time with my mother - chatting and sharing household chores at her home...

Wee nieces -  chats and hugs and emails and Dr. Who excitement...

Time with my niece, Autumn - more chatting, and renewing bonds...

Time with my sweetie - watching great films I would never have chosen on my own, listening to the wonderful music he makes, sitting before a fire he tends...

A warm and cozy home - it may not be a fancy mansion, but our home is warm and cozy and suits our needs beautifully! We are converting our spare room into a nursery/crafts room so that grandbaby-to-be has his own special place here...

Plentiful food - we are blessed with plenty! Foods I grew and canned or froze myself, foods I buy at the farmers market, foods I buy at the safe and clean local supermarkets and grocery shops. This is a blessing that is easy to take for granted...it is easy to assume everyone has access to a safe and healthy food supply...even in our own wealthy nation there are folks living in food deserts, where there is nary an accessible grocery store to buy reasonably priced produce, much less bargains!

A pantry and facilities for cooking - in addition to being blessed with plentiful food and a varied and easily accessible food supply, we are blessed with facilities for storing and preparing these foods. So many people do not have the blessing of their own kitchen - they do not have the means to make a simple pot of soup or to store less-costly summer produce for winter, or to buy staples in bulk and save them in a pantry...

I will continue to reflect and count my blessings between now and Thanksgiving - and scribble them in the blog here and there. 

What are you grateful for?