Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Seriously, I love and look forward to this day every year. I love the football (probably an overstatement, though I do love our Turkey Bowl and the fact that Detroit won this year), I love the food but most of all, I love that this day is solely dedicated to being thankful for everything that God has blessed us with. I’ve learned the value of being thankful, and not just for today. Gratitude is something that I try to acknowledge every day and it’s helped bring joy and contentment to my life and has also helped shift my perspective in a beautiful way.
All that being said, I knew I wanted to take time tonight to write about Thanksgiving. And as I was reviewing the picture I took of our Thanksgiving meal, I realized that I could use it to share about just a few of the things that I’m thankful for this year. It probably sounds strange, but bear with me because I think it will all make sense. Here goes.
Applesauce– It’s my Mom’s homemade kind and for my whole life, it’s always been my favorite. My mom knows it, so every year when she makes and cans it, she sets jars aside to bring out to us. The applesauce reminds me of my family and especially my Mom. Though I’ve been married and away now for thirteen years, there is always a small part of me that misses being with my family during the Holidays. It would be fun to be able to be a part of the large Thanksgiving meal that my extended family still gets together for and especially great to be able to see my sisters and spend time with them and their families. That being said, I am very thankful for the family that God gave me and especially for the times that we do get to spend together.
Scalloped Potatoes– We got them from Costco yesterday when they were being sampled out and they were absolutely delicious! Super easy too, since they were already made up and all you had to do was cook them in the oven for twenty minutes. They remind me of the “things” in life that I’m thankful for. I’m thankful for Costco. And Hot Yoga. And my Essential Oils and French Macaroons.
Caesar Salad– For some reason it reminds me of New York. I guess since I didn’t really eat it much till we moved out here. That being said, it reminds me of all of the things that I’m thankful for that are part of New York. I’m thankful for Eastern Long Island and for the amazing people that we’ve grown to love here. I’m thankful for our community and especially for our church. Each week, we interact with friends of all ages and minster to kids from Kindergarten through 12th grade and even though it can be exhausting at times, we are so thankful to be able to do what we do.
Yams with Marshmallows– I thought it would be a good idea to “toast” the marshmallows for a few minutes under the broiler just before our meal was ready. However, when I opened the oven, the marshmallows had caught on fire. Which left me with beautiful yams with burnt marshmallows all over it. They were Ellee’s creation though so I had to find a way to fix them. I scooped off all of the burnt ones and replaced them with fresh ones. This time I toasted them while watching them and they turned out perfectly. And it reminded me of how many times I mess up in life and how many times God comes in and takes my ugly messes and makes them beautiful again. That… that is something that I will always be thankful for.
Green Bean Casserole– Ellee helped me make this and the yams and the apple pie. So of course it reminded me of how thankful I was for her and for Christian. Our kids are amazing. And difficult. And wonderful. And challenging. But they are one of the biggest blessings of our lives and we are truly thankful for them both.
Filet Mignon– And finally the filet. Truth is, no one in our family likes turkey. So we decided quite a few years ago to just eat what we wanted to eat on Thanksgiving. And steak was our number one choice. My amazing husband grilled up this steak and he is the last person that I wanted to share my gratitude for tonight. Jeremy is my best friend and we are truly better together then we would ever be apart. He loves me and supports me and puts up with my craziness. He makes me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world and he is the greatest blessing in my life.
And that about sums it up for tonight. Granted, there are so many things and people and places that I’m thankful for and the list could probably be eternal. But this year, thanks to my plate of thanksgiving food, this was my list.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Laura Herr Photography 