View From ThE Apple House

Its the day before Thanksgiving, and this year I don’t have to do a thing.

I’ve always known this day would come, but I didn’t think it would arrive so soon.

I’ve been fortunate to share this mindful holiday with many different families, in a variety of fashions and tastes.  My children were always present through out, and there are only a handful of times when we weren’t together.

This year counts as one of them.

Time has a way of clouding the memories that are less than stellar – I believe its the soul’s way of clearing the mind to make room for all the good things coming our way.  We are both givers and receivers, as we should all strive to be.

My earliest memories of Thanksgiving didn’t include much cooking; rather, as the oldest, I was given the job of setting the table, a duty that sticks with me to this day.  Although it was probably a way to keep me and my four siblings out of my poor mother’s sight in the kitchen, this responsibility instilled in me a life long appreciation of tablecloths, dishes, napkins and all the accouterments involved in making the perfect place setting.   I was the original table scape queen, before table scaping was a ‘thing.’

Setting the table this holiday looks a lot different, as there are only two places to arrange and far less as many dishes to pass.  My children are grown with children of their own,  and are either living out of town or celebrating with their father.  Its all as it should be, but still brings a hitch to my breathing when I think of the fact I may have celebrated more Thanksgivings in the past than I will in the future.

Which brings me to the theme of this musing- thankfulness.

I have sat at tables with different mothers-in-law, different palates and different traditions.  I’ve tried to fold them all gently into mine, a veritable soufflé of emotions and flavors.

One year as a single mother, I was the recipient of a donated turkey.  It was probably the best turkey I ever tasted.

Many years later as a successful business owner, I donated 30 turkeys to the local church.   My heart was full and I wanted to share my good fortune, never forgetting the people who helped me get there.

One year I had 30 sitting around my table, encompassing 10 foreign exchange students and extended family, neighbors and friends.

This year there is just the two of us.

Another year I was mindful of not putting too much spice in the food, as a child was battling cancer.

Several years were spent thinking of the one who was not with us, spending his time on the open seas and far away lands.  Our prayers of thanksgiving also included that of protection and calm.

So as I sit and reminisce about the days passed and everything in between, I am reminded of the thread of love which has weaved its way into my heart.  Although I may have been divorced from the marriages, I never lost sight of the families connected to those unions, and how appreciative I was to have had them in my life, both then and now.   The good days far outnumber the bad.

I have friends who have become family and strangers who have become friends.

I hardly ever say it, but I love you all.

I have felt the highs and lows and life, but I wouldn’t change a thing.

Its the day before Thanksgiving, and this year I don’t have to do a thing.

Except be grateful.