Thanksgiving

Today is only Wednesday and Thanksgiving is really tomorrow, but up here in Canada it doesn't seem to matter. Not many people are thinking "Thanksgiving" this week. We are already done celebrating the official holiday as ours was back at the beginning of October. I've been here for nine Thanksgivings already and each year it catches me off guard and Thanksgiving Day is over and done with before I know it! By the time the end of November comes around, I'm ready to start thinking turkey dinner, Thursday and Friday off, cold weather, maybe a little nuts-o shopping adventure on Black Friday, you know... THANKSGIVING! Of course, by the time I'm thinking all this, everyone else around here has already moved on to Christmas and no one seems to care that we're missing out on a holiday.

My friend, Miriam, and her family were here last weekend and she brought me the most wonderful gift from Syracuse, NY! A nineteen pound turkey! You might think that's an odd gift to bring from the States to Canada, but it was a thrill for me! In Canada, even at Thanksgiving, you can get a turkey on sale for $1.69/lb., but Miriam got this one for $.29/lb! We're going to have turkey for many, many meals! I can't wait! I roasted it yesterday and we shared a little mini-Thanksgiving with Fred's parents last night. We had turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetables, cranberry sauce, the works! It was delicious!

I don't know why a turkey meal automatically clicks us into a Thanksgiving mentality, but it does. I guess it's years of conditioning, eating that bird on the day we set aside to specifically express our thanks. Last night was one of those nights that it did it again. As we were sitting around the table, my thoughts were jumping back to how many things I am thankful for. I can't list all the reasons here, but I'll share some. I'm thankful that both my parents and Fred's parents are still here and in good health compared to some of my friends' parents. Fred's dad is definitely slowing down, and that's sad to see, but we enjoyed our evening with him last night, talking about the Ortsi (farm) where he grew up in Yugoslavia. I'm thankful for the children of our parents. My husband is my best friend and I am so thankful for his committment to God first, and then to his family. My siblings are also my dearest friends and our relationships are extremely important to me. I'm thankful for the next generation: our children. Stephen, Timothy and Christopher bring us more joy and contentment than I ever knew possible. (They bring us more frustration and pain, too, but I'll take those if I can still have the rest!) I'm thankful that God cares so much about us and that He is 100% aware of whatever we may be faced with on a daily basis. I'm thankful for creative ideas, for people who encourage, for sunny days, for internet connections that aren't flaky, for the ability to smell cinnamon. The list goes on and on.

I know many of my known and unknown readers will be with their families and friends tomorrow for a Thanksgiving meal. I will be celebrating with you, even if it's only in my heart (and with some leftover turkey!). When I hear stories of the struggles that other people are going through, I cannot help but be thankful for God's blessings. Grandma always told me that no matter how bad off she was, there was always someone worse, and that's why she always answered "Thankful" when we asked how she was doing. So true! I'm thankful today, tomorrow, always!

Happy Thanksgiving!!