Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse. – Henry Van Dyke
I absolutely enjoy Thanksgiving! I love to cook, but I am always off the hook for hosting the actual event. Getting a whiff of that first smell of turkey and sides as I walk up to the ring the doorbell is the best. I could go on and on about the food, but the best part of all is getting to be around family.
Someone told me a funny story about their epic nontraditional Thanksgiving. It was just the two of them that one year, a husband and wife. They decided to have a bit of fun and go to the desert to enjoy Thanksgiving there. The couple hopped in the car to drive to the Airbnb they reserved. Once there, they figured they could cook themselves a two-person Thanksgiving Day feast with a turkey and sides. The couple packed up their car with a few snacks, some grapes, and cheeses. Along the way, they stopped for a bit to stretch their legs, then carried on with their journey. As they got into town, and the sun was setting, they knew they had to find a store to pick up supplies for their dinner. But when they got there, all of the stores had already closed!
Bummed, they headed back to their Airbnb and had a Thanksgiving feast of grapes and cheeses. I thought how sad that must have been, but my friend laughed. She explained that even though they didn’t get the traditional turkey dinner, it taught her that it doesn’t matter. All that mattered was the two of them were together, safe, healthy, and enjoying the desert air.
I am sure you’ve heard this about a thousand times already but I’m going to ask it again, “Where did this year go!? How is it already Thanksgiving!” Something I have learned this year is to stay in the moment and be grateful for what is going on. So let’s not bother to think about how we got to be where we are, and get to some reading.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Inside this Edition
Fiction
The Gift, Sonia Hawkins
A Christmas Homecoming, Trisha McKee
Dear Ms. Lang, Juno Elio Avillez do Nascimento
Two Cigars, Mark Poe
Poetry
Late Autumn on a Maine Lake, Noelle Flewelling Carle
Come with Me to the Old House, Marie Lamb
The Fall, Gabriel Mundo
Ode to Autumn, Emily Roberts
Holidaze, Karen Robiscoe
Let’s Chat
with Author Nan Sanders Pokerwinski