HAPPY TURKEY DAY!!

Gobble Gobble. Its THANKSGIVING.

I LOVE Thanksgiving. For our family its always been a day for that-family. Our family has extended and grown over the years. Jeff and I met at a post-Thanksgiving party given by Sandra and Adam (extended family if there ever was)..and so this Thanksgiving marks our 4 years together, and our first as a married couple. Thanksgiving is just a day to indulge...be drunk on the luxury of sitting around with friends and family..maybe the football game is on..maybe its not..Maybe you caught the Macy's parade on TV...Maybe you sat with a family member and talked... Maybe you had an extra piece of Turkey, maybe an extra helping of wine. Regardless..what other day of the year do you actually have to sit around and be a family again the way its meant to be?

Our Thanksgiving is so different this year...but it won't spoil my fun..no SIR EE! I'm the GRATEFUL member of a new family, the Coomans clan and this year, Peggy and Greg are hosting my Mom, Jeff and I so that my Mom can take the day off too for the first time in probably 20 years. And my new family did it with love in their hearts with the true spirit of Thanksgiving since our family has been in such a state of shock..they opened their hearts and home to us..if that's not Thanksgiving, I don't know what is. I'm also GRATEFUL for my good fortune in life - how could I possibly list here everything I am going to thank God for this year?How do I thank him for friends who are always there for me? How do I thank him for my family...that I have had the pleasure of loving and being loved by? How do I thank him for his small kindnesses, even in times of grief? How do I thank him for the good fortune of being born in a country that millions of people would die to be a citizen in? How do I thank him for sacrifices made for myself and my countrymen by our men and women in the military? How do I thank him for the fact that although I'm scared to move to Hawaii..its HAWAII for god's sake! How do I thank him for the fact that the SunDevils have the best chance in 11 years to go the Rose Bowl?!!

How? How will I thank him? I'll close my eyes, and grab the hands of the person sitting next to me, squeeze hard and appreciate the day. I'll honor the day with joy and laughter and family...and a little bit too much Turkey and wine....an ASU football game...and I'll send my good thanks your way too...so that you too remember how great the great things in your life are. So that you too will bask in the glory of your good fortune, and with determination sneak a peek into the darkest crevices of your life and find a little light there too.

Enjoy your day. Enjoy your family. Enjoy your goodness. Enjoy the gifts that life has given you. Enjoy the near-misses. Enjoy the "almost did's", Enjoy the "glad I did's" Enjoy the lessons learned. Enjoy the opportunities recognized...enjoy the bliss of not knowing what you missed on the other stuff...enjoy it all. Its one glorious, fabulous day. No gifts to give...no chaos or clutter. Enjoy the simplicity of giving thanks.

Because on Friday...we'll go back to rushing around...even more so because its officially the holidays...and we'll need those moments of peace and joy all that much more.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Love,
-T.

The Paradox of Time

Time. We either have too little or too much, and its movement is life's trick: we have no control over its passing, and yet its passing plays a significant role in each person's experience.

I've been struck over the last month, and in particular, the last week about the power of this resource. As the days get shorter, I'm reminded of the darkness that beset our family 4 years ago last month when my father passed. The night seemed endless and cruel. Over time, the darkness eased, and my family had many things to celebrate, including the birth of Piper and the marriage of Jeff and I. Our family seemed to have finally healed and found its way again. I found myself amazed, as this anniversary approached at how quickly this time had passed, and yet, how long ago it seemed. Its hard to believe that its been over 4 years since I heard my Dad tell me how proud of me he was.

And this week, as my 84 year old Nana recovers from an accident and my sister's pregnancy hangs in a delicate state, we again, feel the darkness of the impending shorter days and the urgency of time. For my Nana, we feel the good fortune of her many years of taking care of herself, the collective balance of time, contrasted with her other health issues such as increasing deafness and Alzheimer's both of which are simply the results of time passing. Time it atrophies. For my sister, each day is a good day, and can not come fast enough as she and her little baby remain in a collective state of her pregnancy. Each day we hope the new little Ramsey is growing fast and strong and my sister's good health keeps her and the baby safe and her pregnant for as long as possible, at 24 weeks, each day pregnant is a good day. Time it strengthens. In both cases, we are grateful for the doctors who seem to have their fingers on the pulse of time and be able to work within its confines. We are grateful for the passing of time that has brought us today's modern medicine.

At the same time, I'm grateful that not so much time has passed that I can't be here for these very important and life-changing times. And yet, the clock ticks, tocks, ticks, tocks in my mind...a pressing, perpetual sound that gets louder each day. Soon, I will look back on this time, instead of feeling caught in its web.

Is time my enemy or my friend? I can not tell, except to say that from a historical perspective (time's rose colored glasses) time has been kind to me whether its passing has been wished or or resisted..and I can only hope that history is an indicator of the future.