Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone! I hope that everyone has a day filled with family, whether that be you and your spouse, you and your children, you and your best friend (four legged friends included), or you and multiple generations of family. For those that are spending this day in solitude for whatever reason(s), I hope that your day goes exactly as you have planned and that you feel the joys of your greatness and create a memory for yourself that you will look back on one day with a smile.

As an adult, Thanksgiving has always been an emotional grab bag for me, from happiness to longing. It is also a day that I take to reflect on the year that stands between the last Thanksgiving and the present one, taking note of all of the good things that have occurred in my life. Since I tend not to write gratitude lists very often, mostly because I’m too busy looking forward to stop and look at right here and now, I look at this designated day of thanks to be a great time to remind myself of all the good, the progresses made, and to leave the less than desirable on the shelf for a day. No yard stick is used to validate the good.

When I was growing up, I always dreamed of having large Thanksgiving gatherings at my own home when I grew up. I had the large Thanksgiving gatherings at my grandparents as a child and the connectedness feeling that provided me was something I wanted to carry forward to the next generations to come. My life has gone differently than what I had believed it would be. My family of origin is spread out across the country, I do not have a place that I could host a large gathering, or much of a gathering at all. Nor do my finances support the dream. I long for the large gatherings, again.

Many Thanksgivings, my children have gone to their dad’s family’s celebrations. I wanted to be able to give them the large gathering of the holiday, to give them those memories. That family has lost so many of its family members over the last 5-6 years, so many in such a short time, one of them being the kids’ dad, and it appears that the Thanksgiving gatherings there are not at all what they used to be, if there is much of a gathering at all. I hope they make it through today with only the fondest memories and a lot of laughter.

This Thanksgiving, my daughter will be spending with her boyfriend’s family. It sounds like there is going to be a small get together there. I’m not sure, but I think my son is going to spend the day with a good friend of his. That leaves just me and my husband to our own gathering of seven (us, three dogs, two cats).

I am putting a turkey breast in the slow cooker in a little bit. I’ve never tried this so I am excited about it. That is honestly the extent of our plans, other than the early Black Friday that is happening at a couple of stores this evening. I should be able to clear my list of Black Friday gifts tonight. YAY!

So, whatever your Thanksgiving plans may be, I  hope you take the time to reflect on all that is good in your world. If all one can find to be thankful for is the fact that they are alive, then grab onto that with all you have, for it is a gift to be cherished like none other. Love all those that touch your heart, thank the Universe (or whatever or whoever is your higher power) for the souls that have come into or through your life that have touched your soul with love, made it dance, and reminded you that you are a gift to be cherished. Love yourself, and all of your perfect imperfections. Above all, be grateful for the opportunity to have this experience of life, and everything that goes with it, for even though it can be challenging, painful, discouraging, soul damaging, it is in all of that that we find the best of who we are. Dance on.