We had a winter storm last night with snow and low, low temperatures. My daughter Emma came in to ask, “Can we turn on the Christmas lights tonight?” “No, we can’t sweetie pie.” “Why not, mama? It’s snowing.”
“Because I’m old fashioned,” I think. Because I want our family to celebrate Thanksgiving before we start Christmas.
Every year as a child my mom would ask everyone sitting around the long Thanksgiving table to share what they are most grateful for. I have memories of someone invariably crying (usually one of my aunts) and someone being sarcastic and funny (usually one of my uncles). As a young girl, I was excited when it was my turn to answer. As a teenager I remember rolling my eyes when my turn came around. Sorry Mom!
This year I am hosting Thanksgiving and am wondering whether I want to carry on this tradition.
In some ways I still balk at the idea. Maybe because my profoundest feelings of gratitude are raw and powerful and it’s hard to express them adequately in a room full of family. Maybe I don’t want to be the aunt that cries!
I’ve been thinking a lot about gratitude lately. I realize that when I feel most grateful, I also feel most peaceful. I’ve come to realize gratitude isn’t an emotion reserved for the lucky or the wealthy.
Gratitude comes most fully to me during or after difficult times. Maybe it takes struggle or loss to remind me of what I do have. It’s sort of like this: I woke up in the middle of the night last night to discover the power was out. Oh boy, it’s going to be a cold morning if it doesn’t come back on. The temperature was close to zero last night. Imagine my gratitude when I woke up this morning to the sound of my furnace. If I hadn’t known in the night that we had lost power, for however short a time it was, I wouldn’t have given the warmth from my furnace a second thought.
I’m not sure whether or not I will ask my guests to share their blessings… but I will take time tomorrow to fill out this little paper: It’s an inventory of the 50 things I’m most grateful for. I’ve done it before, last year our little family made a gratitude tree. I’ve found the process of writing down my blessings is always profound.
Here is my template for: 50 Things I’m Grateful For.
Happy Thanksgiving!