Thanksgiving 2015

Thanksgiving 2015 has come and gone.

The pie has been eaten and the leftover mashed potatoes are one day away from their final resting place in the garbage can.

In the aftermath of all the dishes and laundry, I'm left with an unexpected amount of gratitude.

For my husband who cooked the Thankgiving turkey in the rain. And who loves his family completely and without reservation.

For beautiful neices

and cousins who are friends.

For a father-in-law who installed a new dishwasher on the friday after Thanksgiving

and didn't complain when it took all day.

 

For moments that will be forever etched in my memory.

Each year it seems the stakes get higher and life gets more complicated. I am constantly reminded that there is little I control. The struggles of my friends and family weigh on my heart and in my mind. 

And yet, the heartache makes the gratitude possible. It illuminates the ordinary and helps us to appreciate convention.

 

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

May this spirit of gratitude carry us into the new year.