Thanksgiving ramblings

Yesterday, I realized that I have now hosted Thanksgiving for seven of the last ten years. I love Thanksgiving at home. For the past two years, I've been lucky enough that my friend Amanda and her family have come over for dinner. It's such a relaxed affair - we divide and conquer the menu with Amanda bringing the things that trasport well and I the things that should be cooked here. At the last minute, I bought a Cooking Light magazine. In there was a picture of a yam casserole with marshmallows. I ran out that night to get sweet potatoes. It turns out that Amanda was craving the same dish, so we were both thrilled with the last minute decision.

Growing up, my mother would move the TV into the kitchen, the first thing cooked was the chex mix, followed by the starting of the stuffing to put into the turkey. My days start in much the same way, same stuffing, same chex mix.

Four years ago, I found myself cooking thanksgiving dinner while watching the Macy's Day parade on the TV I moved into the kitchen, while eating Chex mix with a 9 mos old Sydney and a 3 year old Sarah.

I looked at the girls at my feet and just started to cry. I was just so grateful to be alive (if you remember, I almost died when Sydney was born and it was a bit of a miracle that I was here). To have the traditions I grew up with being passed onto my girls, to see them enjoy them. I can't listen to the start of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade without tearing up.

Christmas doesn't seem to have the same effect - maybe it's that I know the girls would have traditions, maybe it's that the focus isn't on being thankful as much, but Thanksgiving affects me almost more than Sydney's birthday.

Sarah decided we should go around the table and say what we are thankful for. By the time we got food on the kids plate, and on ours - we decided that we would wait until after we ate so we could have lukewarm food rather than cold. But, when we finally did, the only thing I could be thankful for was life.

So, for those of us who spent yesterday with our family - Thank goodness for life. For those outside the U.S. , I hope you enjoyed your Thursday.