Happy Thanksgiving to all of my fabulous friends!

I hope you are all somewhere warm and happy with your loved ones, or at least those you can tolerate some!

If you are working on this day of thanks, I thank you. I hope you will get to enjoy with others at some point and time this thankful holiday.

I can’t help but think back to the Thanksgivings when I was younger.

My mom would be shopping for food, planning all week the previous week as well and would begin the cooking at least the day before.

Depending on who was hosting the family Thanksgiving, it could get a bit crazy but we were all happy to be spending time with relatives we got to only see on the Big 3 Holidays, which were back then, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. We celebrated Memorial Day, the 4^th of July and Labor Day as well but those seemed more laid back somehow and the Big 3 were always a labor of love with all of the family and friends attending.

If it was at our house my dad would always be working in the yard and/or moving things where mom needed to ready the house for all of the family who showed up.

The numbers varied but I don’t think it was ever less than 18! If everyone was in town and extended family showed up, plus random friends passing through or without plans, then we could get past 30 people for Thanksgiving! It made for a big circle through the house when it came time for the blessing!

My brother and I had tasks delegated to us of course but it seems like we always complied and were eager to help. It may have been we knew it was getting closer to Christmas and Santa was always watching! I do know that though we thoroughly enjoyed seeing other family and friends, we had signals and plans for every situation that may arise! We did love watching the company come through the doors, but for some of our relatives and friends we didn’t see as often, they were the ones known to pinch cheeks, rub out heads and talk to us as if we were toddlers. So from the ages of about 5, lil bro, and 8, myself, we formed a bond that has lasted a lifetime for surviving large family gatherings! We did a lot of sibling bonding during the family gatherings. As we grew older we talked in code and would make up scenarios and talk them out, laughing hysterically at each other. Only he knows what it’s like from my perspective and only I know his. It makes me more thankful for him. I miss him more on the big 3 holidays if we aren’t able to be together.

Of course, we don’t celebrate the holidays like we once did.

We no longer have the larger family celebrations as so many are no longer with us. Others move on or move away.

I miss the scent of the house with all of the foods and people spreading out everywhere. I miss the laughter and joy, the tears too that were shed as we remembered those who had passed. Yet still giving thanks that we were blessed to have them in our lives and how they impacted us.

There are so many things I miss.

I am also so very thankful that I have the memories of those very things that I miss.

Those parts of me that may be time long gone, but definitely not time forgotten. For you see, they make up the very fabric of who I am and how I see life. Though some perspectives have changed, I can see where others have not drifted from their origins. The parts that remember the smells, the sounds, the emotions and the underlying love and comfort that comes from those nostalgic memories. The ones I will never forget because they are imprinted on my soul.

I love making new memories and foraging new traditions. I love that I will take some of the old and blend with the new. Never forgetting those who taught me the true meaning of Thanksgiving and those still in my life, as well as those who are no longer here. I love sharing my journey with the people in my life now. I love how wherever I have lived I always find a way to share it with others and them share with me. I love that Thanksgiving is a day where you can just be thankful, no matter if it’s old or new traditions. Or maybe it’s a tradition in the making.

I hope you all have a wonderfully fabulous Thanksgiving!

Always Keep Hope Alive!