We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. It snowed this year on both the day before Thanksgiving and the day of Thanksgiving. Dan and I started to talk about the last time it snowed on Thanksgiving and we had a whole discussion down memory lane trying to recall. At the end of the conversation we still weren't sure when (or if) it had snowed on Thanksgiving before. This made me realize I wanted to make sure I posted about Thanksgiving because no matter how hard you try to remember each holiday, they start running together like watercolors over the year. And while watercolors can be beautiful, sometimes you want a more exact portrait to look at and remember what something looked like.
The day before Thanksgiving we hadn't cooked anything and had a whole houseful of people coming the next day. When school was over, I stepped out into the swirling snow in the parking lot, dusted off my car in the biting cold, and left with a renewed energy that somewhat surprised me. I think it was in anticipation of the upcoming break. I stopped at Walgreen's to pick up some last minute things for the breakfast we have the day after Thanksgiving. This breakfast is when our elf returns. I'm pretty sure my daughter has figured out the whole elf thing isn't for real, but she hasn't asked the actual question. I don't think she will anytime soon either. She still loves to play along with a great amount of enthusiasm, and I am thankful for this. Kids grow up too fast, especially in today's world. I think she still wants to believe magic can be real and knows it's fun to pretend it is. I know this feeling only too well myself. I still have it when I watch Game of Thrones. Why can't dragons be real?
When I got home, the house was empty (save our dogs and cats). I remembered Dan had made an appointment for himself and the kids for haircuts. I put away the elf goodies, changed into my yoga pants and sneakers, and set to work peeling a mountain of potatoes. As I was standing at the sink, looking out the window at the snow, the quiet settled in around me. I could have turned on the television or fired up my iPod, but I didn't. I was happy. Content. I was anticipating my family coming home and my extended family arriving the next day. There is no better anticipation in the world. But the quiet was awesome too. I reveled in peeling those potatoes in the silence, watching the snow fall.
Thanksgiving went off with only a few hiccups (No wood chips for the smoker - thank goodness for Kroger being open. No turkey-sized oven bag for the turkey - again thanks, Kroger) as it does every year. I enjoyed the whole day.
After we'd cleaned up and I stretched out on the couch to look at the ads for the sales the next day, I remembered that quiet moment as it all began - the calm during the storm. And I was thankful.
Kim
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