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Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Slow and Steady Wins the Race . . .

Over the years, that's been my approach to getting everything put together for holidays. Everything gets made or set, and I don't feel totally exhausted. 

Sweet potato casserole, ready to top and bake

This year, I have a lot of help from my daughters for which to be thankful. The two of them are preparing a large part of Thursday's meal, then helping me with Friday's meal. In addition to all of their help, I'm preparing casseroles and sides today and tomorrow, to be baked at the last minute on Thursday or Friday.

this gooeyness is a praline topping for the sweet potato casserole -- brown sugar, butter, chopped pecans

The Thanksgiving dishes and glasses are now on the table. I like getting all of this done as early as I can.

I've also been cleaning over the past 10 days, leaving little sticky notes throughout the house, indicating those areas are off-limits as they've been cleaned. No sense burning out before we even sit down to eat on Thursday or Friday.

Of course, to compensate for this time spent preparing, our meals this week have been significantly simplified, as in we're having pancakes for dinner tonight. 

Throughout the week, I've been thinking about my gratitude list. Here is what I've come up with so far. I'm thankful for heated homes as commonplace, not just for the elite. I'm thankful for indoor plumbing. When I was out in the garden this afternoon, my fingers froze as I was cutting stems of kale. I can only imagine what going outdoors for the facilities several times per day in bad weather must've been like. I'm thankful for phones so I can hear the voices of people I care about but cannot see. And I'm thankful for the 55 cent postage stamp and 50 cent greeting cards from Dollar Tree, so I can send my love in a keep-able form to someone dear to me but nowhere near to me. I'm thankful for tears, because they mean that I care, and my heart has not hardened. I'm thankful for good jokes because laughter will pick me up on the downest days. I'm thankful for sugar and spice. I cannot imagine pumpkin pie without some sugar and a bit of spice. But most of all, I am thankful for those who love me and I can love back. Love without a place to put it is grief. I'm thankful for less grief and more love in my life. 

So, how are you plans for the holiday coming? What are you thankful for this year?

Wishing those of you in the USA a very happy Thanksgiving. And if you're not in the US, I'm sure you still have much for which to be thankful.

10 comments:

  1. We all have so many things to be thankful for. However, sometimes we need to stop and think about them because it's so easy to focus on what's wrong and ignore what's right. You have a very nice list that all of us can appreciate.

    Happy Thanksgiving!

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  2. I frequently reflect on a little thing I read once, perhaps I will not quote correctly. What if I only had today what I thanked God for yesterday. Pretty humbling! I have been so blessed in my life. A secure job with now a pension. Wonderful family. More than enough so I can share. Good friends. Freedom! A loving church family. I could go on and on! And I am thankful for creative savv...a gift to me!

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  3. A very good and gentle reminder, thank you.

    It has been yet another stressful week with things that could have gone very wrong but I believe God intervened in so many ways. Not going into detail right now because this is an active situation that could still go wrong but we are very careful right now. Everyone is safe for the moment and again we are thankful.

    Hope everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving.

    Alice

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  4. Alice, praying for your unspoken concern.

    Lili, while I'm not hosting a big dinner, you and I have a similar approach to entertaining. I also find that I get exhausted if I do too much at once (and I want to be able to focus on my guests, not be stuck doing food prep and cleanup when I have company) so I break it up into smaller, more manageable chunks.

    I keep thinking about where life was a year ago with my mom's multiple health issues and where we are now, with relatively stable health for her. I'm thankful she is doing as well as she is and that we still have her around to enjoy. Thankful for my awesome husband and kids. For friends and family, and the opportunities to serve both at church and at work. Wishing everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving.

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  5. Happy Thanksgiving, Live and Learn! Wishing you a day of blessings.

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  6. Thank you, Linda. Wishing you and your family a happy Thanksgiving!

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  7. Alice, I'm saying a prayer for you and your family and wishing you a day of blessings tomorrow!

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  8. Hi Kris,
    The health of our family members is such a blessing, isn't it? Have a lovely Thanksgiving with your family.

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  9. I'm just catching up on reading your blog - and I am thankful today. We were on our way to Thanksgiving dinner at my 84 year old mother's - bring the turkey - and were involved in a car accident (not our fault). Although turkey juice went all over and I have a bruised sternum and whiplash, I'm so grateful that it wasn't worse.

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  10. Oh Ruthie, how horrible! Yes, I am very grateful for you, too, that the accident wasn't worse. Take good care of yourself and rest as much as you can. I pray that you are relieved of the pain very soon.

    ReplyDelete

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