The Thanksgiving Meal - A Gift to My Family

 

This is one of my favorite Holidays of the year. Why? Because it's a time when we pause to give Gratitude it's rightful place. Yes, we all need to have Gratitude as part of our daily prayers and thoughts, but setting aside one day out of our busy lives to reflect  is so needed right now.

This Holiday, to me also starts the season of giving and what better way to do that than with food. This tradition in my family has always started on Wednesday day/night , as my Mom and my Grandmother would get together to make the pies and the stuffing. There are times when other family members would join, but the steadfast people were always my Mom and Grandmother. This is a tradition that continues today, I still try to keep it alive as I think it bonds the women in our family. And true to tradition, friends and family stop in to join us for a drink or to snack on the stuffing - it is so addicting! Last night, we had a new little guy join in on the stuffing fun! My nieces' little four month old baby, named Parker. It brought so much joy to my soul seeing him smile and knowing that even though my Mom isn't with us physically, she was smiling, happy, that her family was still together, still holding the traditions she handed down to us- welcoming this adorable little guy.

 Thursday morning brings sleepy eyes and tired bodies but the turkey needs to be prepped and side dishes need to be prepared. The Macy's Day Parade is always a staple in the background and a nice respite for a few minutes while the food is being prepared.

As I sip on my coffee and go through the house cleaning  up and starting the prep work, I think about the work that goes into this meal and how I am so grateful to be able to Host it each year. This year, I have worked a tremendous amount of hours at my day job, my body hurts from sitting way too much  and I yearn to have one day of rest but this is not that day. This is the day, I spend in the room I love - my kitchen,  and prepare fresh food for my family to enjoy.  

You see, this is my gift to my family. I love to see them laugh and enjoy themselves, have some cocktails and just be happy. Life is so full of ups and downs , especially this year. This year , this gift to my family is extra special because it makes us so thankful for even the smallest things, like the dairy-free brownies that I tried to make for my niece last night and they cooked a little too fast. 

I truly am so grateful that I get the honor of preparing this meal for them. 

Sending so much love to my sister Terry, my sister-in-law, Melissa, my brother Brett, my father and his wife Kathy, my step brother Sean , my nephew's Brendon and Brian and their wives Britney and Megan and all their little kiddos. I wish you were here with us today. A shout out to little Beck, as this is your first Thanksgiving little guy!

With love and Gratitude,

Kim

 

 

 

Let this be our Prayer today

 Let this be our Prayer today...

God, unite our country once again as we did that horrible day in our nation's history, 19 years ago today.

As we all stood watching , all of us, no matter what we look like - we stood and watched. 

We all know where we were, where our loved ones were. 

We all , all of us stood watching , not just that morning, but throughout the day as men and women , policemen, firemen, clergy,  the average person wanting to help- fought the flames to save their fellow man.  We didn't care about politics, race, it didn't matter - we came together to help each other.

Let it be our prayer today that we unite once again. That we come together as a nation. 

Heal our nation today God. Grant us peace. Let us spread your Grace, your Love to all our brothers and sisters. 

Let it be our Prayer today that unity and love once again prevail over our sweet Land of Liberty.

Let this  Be Our Prayer.

 I keep thinking about this song as I think about our world , our Nation. So much divisiveness , so much anger, so much fear.  And I feel all  I can do is Pray. Pray for our country, pray for leadership that will heal, will create peace and will change the energy that is so pervasive today.

I do not choose to engage in the conversations. I do not choose to engage in the fear, the violence, the judgement of each other. I choose instead to focus myself on love. Loving each other, praying that we all just take a step back and remember , at the end of the day, we are all human, with our own journeys, our own stories.

So, what can we all do during this time? Spread the words, the conversations of love, of hope , of Light.

I send this out to the world in hopes that it speaks to someone to give comfort, to give them hope and love. When all else fails , we all still have Prayer, no matter what our beliefs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QctoD57aYqw

Just Show Up for Your Friends and Family

Today's blog post speaks deep into my heart. A very dear and close friend has died. I am somewhat speechless yet feel compelled to write this. Perhaps in dedication to him, to his family, to all of us on this planet who hold friends and family deep in our hearts.

This friend , who name was David. No last name needs to be mentioned. He was a kind man who was very successful in life. Yes, in terms of wealth, but perhaps more importantly in terms of his success in raising wonderful children and being a loyal and dedicated friend, a kind heart that would lend a helping hand whenever his friends needed him.

When I got the call on Sunday morning, I felt I couldn't even respond. It was disbelief. It was once again, that ugly, dark , overpowering sense of grief that came flooding back. The one that I have been battling for all of 2019 and into 2020 for loss of my cats of 14 years. And , I am sure the grief over my Mother, who despite the fact died in 2015, I am certain, I still pine for that one more time that I can hear her voice.

I wasn't going to go to the Annual Superbowl party that one of our friends was holding with this very large and amazing circle of friends that this person was a part of. I had much to do at home and wanted to focus on writing .  That call immediately changed my mind and my spirit. This was one of David's favorite parties of the year and oftentimes we would sit together and chat about dating, finances, his healing over his wife who died from cancer. And I knew I had to be with my friends to share in the mourning of our dear friend. You see the funeral home isn't where we would celebrate David, it's the parties and the gatherings we all have that he loved so much and brings us all together.
David was a big fan of friends and family gatherings as am I.

I talked to a few of our friends in the morning, we were all sharing our grief and were looking forward to seeing each other at the game party.  The last call I took before going to the party was one of our friends who is mourning deeply and was having a hard time pulling herself together to make it to the party.  We talked for about 20 minutes and I told her, focus, get your clothes on and get to the party - we all need to be together.

And we both Showed Up. For David. For our friends. For the love we have for one another.

All of us chatted with one another in little circles throughout the house, about David, our memories, our disbelief.

And then before the game started, our Host and friend , Gina, turned the TV down, and said a few words about David and asked for a moment of silence. I asked to say a prayer for David and for all of us asking that his Spirit be with us tonight and always as we continue to gather as friends throughout the coming year and years to come.

I am so blessed to have this large group of friends who loves no matter what. We honored our friend last night, we Showed Up.