Thanksgiving Memories

I remember being a kid and waking up to Christmas music on Thanksgiving morning. Food being prepared in the kitchen, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV. The chill in the air and for a kid - the sheer delight in knowing Santa was not far behind!

My dad worked on Thanksgiving. 40 years ago, still a young dad, he worked the holiday for that coverted double-time holiday pay and I remember counting the minutes till my dad came walking through the door around 2 in the afternoon.

My job was always to break the fresh bread into pieces for the homemade stuffing (something my daughter does now) while my mom melted the butter, sauteed the onions and celery and added all those seasonings that would become my favorite part of dinner - STUFFING.

The turkey would make it in the oven and the company would start to arrive. Though most of those people that I see in my holiday memories are gone, I can remember them vividly. My aunts perfume and the bags of goodies and groceries she would unload from my uncles car. My uncle handing out money. My grandparents eager to wrap us in hugs and warm kisses. The corny jokes, the football, the food and most of all the love that seeped into every corner and crevice of my heart.

Thanksgiving is more than just a huge meal where we sit down and stuff more food than anyone should feel comfortable consuming into our stomachs - it’s about just what that word implies - Giving Thanks.

I’m thankful for my past. I’m hopeful for my future. The saying that you can’t see where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been - has great meaning to me.

No my life hasn’t been perfect - really can anyone say their life has been or is? We’ve all made mistakes, done and said things we regret and we’ve had those moments that will forever shine brightly in our memories. This is the day to shine. To celebrate all the good, all the bad and all the ways we’ve all grown - day after day, year after year - becoming better people.

Take it slow. Inhale the scents, take the time to laugh and toast to love, happiness and hope. Because wherever you are, whoever you’re with - no one knows what time holds. Life is about the small moments, the memories you make now to take with you into the future. One day I hope to have a granddaughter breaking bread for stuffing, my kids will be grown, hosting family dinners of their own. What will their memories be? Will they remember the music, the smells of roasting turkey or our family’s tradition of watching “Christmas Vacation” when the last of the food has found a place in the refrigerator?

So my wish for all my family, friends, and the best critters on the planet, is for hope and enough of everything they could want! For memories to fill a lifetime. For love to overflow.

Okay, okay, I wish us all the big publishing contracts we can handle! (I can dream, right?)

Tags: Thanksgiving

November blue

I always find November to be a difficult time of year. It’s sort of a preparatory month. I’m preparing myself for The Big Meal. (Or, in my case, planning how I’m going to avoid eating too much at the Big Meal). And–for relatives.

I don’t want to say I’m not thankful for my family, you understand. It’s just…well. First of all, there are SO many of them. Three sisters, one brother, spouses, children, and then–the children’s children. And in the midst of ALL these people, I’m viewed as the Unemployed, Lacking Direction, Living in Near Poverty, Clueless, Pathetic and Wasting Her Time and Her Talent (When We All Know She Should Be Writing Children’s Books) Let’s-Tell-Her-How-She-Needs-to-Run-Her-Life one of the family.

Yes. I’m the family loser.

Except, I’m also the only one in the family who’s currently overweight (therefore, I only lose in the wrong parts of my life). Oh. Joy. Those not telling me how to run my life will be watching how I load my plate. That means I won’t be able to eat any of the foods made in the time-honor Thanksgiving tradition of butter, cream, bring on the fat and calories. So I’ll be eating…salad.

Now you’re probably wondering what the heck has this whiney stuff got to do with writing? I don’t know about you, but I always find that mining my personal muck is good for character building. Who doesn’t have angst? Knowing that a character has worries just like you (the reader) makes them more likeable. The trick is–you (the writer) can’t let them whine too much. Let them persevere beyond what they’re whining about. And for a really satisfying ending, let them win out over the angst.

In my case, that would be to make $1,000,000 from one of my romances and invite my family over for a Thanksgiving meal where I only serve salad and tell them what they should do with their lives. Oooooh. Satisfying.

And how does this tie in to the “Thankful Theme”? Easy. And I’m sure anyone reading this will agree. I’m thankful Thanksgiving only happens once a year!

Tags: angst, family, Thanksgiving

Happy New Year!

May 2008 bring you everything you desire.

Merry Christmas!

A Christmas Story

Every year at my work the various departments gather food and toys for hampers that are delivered to needy families for the holidays. We get the names of families from the Christmas Cheer Board in our city.

This year, one department put together a beautiful hamper with toys for the three children ages 2, 4, and 7. Every staff member donated their $25 gift certificate for Safeway, which they all receive as a gift from the union here. One of the staff, Brad, had spoken to the mother and arranged delivery. Brad and Dave loaded up Brad’s car and delivered the hamper.

They carried in boxes of food and gifts for the children, making several trips. The children were ecstatic that they were receiving gifts this Christmas, and Brad and Dave felt really good – until they left the home. Then Dave said to Brad, “That lady didn’t speak much English. Didn’t you talk to her on the phone?” Brad replied, “Yes.” Then he paused. “And she spoke perfect English.” They looked at each other, then checked the address they had. To their horror, they realized they had just delivered the hamper to the wrong family!.

They didn’t know what to do, but after reflecting and realizing that there was another family still expecting the hamper to be delivered, and the toys had been purchased with those three specific children in mind, they went back into the house. They explained that they’d made a mistake. They actually had to take one of the toys out of a child’s hands, pack things up and take it away. They felt terrible and the family was distressed, too. What an awful Christmas story!

But wait – it gets better!

When Brad and Dave got back to the office, they told their co-workers what had happened. The story spread through the building and within an hour, donations started pouring in for another hamper – without being asked, every other department chipped in more food and toys and gift certificates, even another Christmas card was found.

So Brad and Dave returned to the first house later that day and delivered another generous hamper to the family, who were overwhelmed and grateful after the earlier disappointment!

The immediate and unsolicited outpouring of donations left us all with a very warm, joyful feeling. The Christmas spirit is alive and well! Merry Christmas and happy holidays!