change & peace
November 23, 2015 § Leave a comment
It is a season of mending broken traditions
with intentions threaded in joy;
a time of celebrations and tenderness for our blessings.
It is a meal shared over memories;
days lightened by laughter.
It is a time of change and peace;
new milestones and old favorites.
It is a place of comfort and cheer;
family born of friendship.
Thanks and giving.
soul food
November 26, 2014 § 4 Comments
I am not a cook, I am barely a baker. At my best, I am attentive to directions and curious. The never ending task of coordinating healthy meals that are a pleasant balance of familiar and unanticipated has made me an exhausted, under-inspired family cook. Excuses and invitations interrupt the tediousness of my children’s predictably plain palates with an opportunity to peruse the pages of my oft-overlooked recipes for an idea. Slowly the search becomes an extension of a backyard treasure hunt, the entire process an enthusiastic quest for a new experience.
This is the playful path that lead me to shuffle the expectations for our Thanksgiving meal. Without the company of family our meal is a collection of unexceptional staples, a menu dictated by memories that is more reassuring than creative. Not wanting to challenge the harmony of the day with disruptive substitutions, I instead conceded my place at the helm of preparations. This year my children gathered the groceries and their hands will soon craft the meal. We will play with our food before we eat and maybe, perhaps, we will carve new traditions.
While my children stand taller in their tasks, I am counting my good fortune as their mother. The menu matters so much less than the company of my children. Our time together, food for my soul.
full heart
November 24, 2011 § Leave a comment
Thanksgiving began with my daughter’s giggles as she snuggled deeply beneath the covers sandwiched between my husband and myself. We fought of consciousness as she warded of sleep and slowly we welcomed the day together. My son slumbers peacefully, long limbs tossed casually across his bed lost to dreams. The past couple of weeks have brought moments of sadness and joy, each felt passionately with a full heart. Today, I pause to give thanks for the everyday moments that center my days in gratitude all year-long. Even on the darkest day, I wake to the light of my family.
company & clarity
November 10, 2011 § 2 Comments
Cool winds have swept us into a season of Thanksgiving. I have been mindful of my blessings, but recently while planning for our traditional turkey meal I felt the distraction of disharmony tugging at my consciousness. Negative thoughts unspoken encroached on my spirit; stubbornly I shoved the unwelcomed sentiments beneath the proverbial rug until I tripped over my thoughts. Then I set aside my blessings, guarding them from dismay, and called my unpleasant thoughts into consciousness naming them like petulant children. Anger came quickly.
I have welcomed guests into my home in the name of etiquette and family obligations, allowing resentment to slip through the door. Old wounds sit freshly salted; resentment chafes at gratitude. Self-righteous, anger seemed to mock my false sincerity.
I am trying to allow myself forgiveness for my anger and permission to feel discontent. This brief exercise in naming and claiming responsibility for my unkind thoughts reminded me of a book I once read, The Dark Side of the Light Chasers by Debbie Ford. The ugly emotions simmering beneath my gratitude were poisoning my thoughts. Giving my feelings light and air has brought me peace.
Rather than assume new injuries or dwell on old hurts, I am looking ahead to Thanksgiving with a new consciousness; expectations centered in awareness and responsibility founded in acceptance of imperfect relationships among imperfect people.
scribblechic 