Next weekend is the Canadian Thanksgiving. Always the second Monday in October, the holiday is meant as a time to count our blessings and celebrate the harvest.
The first part I do each and every morning, as a gentle reminder to live in the present and appreciate the many gifts this wonderful life has given me. But come Oct. 14, I become the corny, sentimental mom, who as our family gathers around the dinner table, asks each one there to share for what he or she is most thankful.
They apparently hate it — but I know secretly love it. How do I know? Well, I have been under strict orders from them for the past several years that I can’t keep saying “My family”. So, confounded on where else to go, as my gratitude is deep when it comes to my husband, kids and grandkids, I actually forgot to get things started. It didn’t take long before they were all asking when we were going to begin. They can no longer, therefore, at this annual meal, give me the moans and groans of years past when I mention the tradition.
I suppose being grateful for one’s family is a given — and therefore not very imaginative. So, while searching for some nice Thanksgiving photos to share in this blog, I decided to try and get a little inspiration from them.
Yes, then, I am indeed grateful for the beauty of autumn, and this wonderful country in which I live with its abundant, rich farmland. I am thankful for pumpkin and the pie, apples and the pie. I am especially appreciative of the turkey that gives its life for my sustenance and enjoyment. But in looking at the pictures, and seeing all of that, I still feel most blessed for the family who enjoys all of it with me.
