Many blessings

Only from the heart can you touch the sky. ~Rumi

All the food for Thanksgiving has been cooked.  I started last night and finished with the roasted turkey around noon.  This is the first year that I can remember that I did the entire Thanksgiving meal by myself.  My wife has been at her parents' house yesterday and today.

I feel a sense of accomplishment in preparing the meal.  I like to cook, but this has been pretty much my wife's domain because she is so accomplished at it.  I have been her apprentice for years. I don't think that I ruined anything!

Last night, I went to a meeting in which we talked about expectations and the holidays.  This is a familiar topic.  Several were sharing that they didn't want to visit family or were remembering past holidays that were terrible.  Each person had a back up plan about what they were going to do if situations were unacceptable.

Today I don't feel anxious about the holiday. I truly like Thanksgiving.   I know that we will be there with the parents and the new caregivers. We will stay a few hours and have a good meal.  After lunch, we will sit around for a while, talk, and clean up dishes. And then, we'll head up the road to our friends' house for dinner where I hope that we will play Balderdash, an hilariously fun word game.

I think about what someone said last night--that she wished us many blessings for Thanksgiving.  It was a good way to put it.  Instead of feeling anxious or sad, I feel grateful and accepting. Those are huge blessings for me.

Tonight, I'm going rowing with the crew.  It has been a while since I've rowed due to my taking the marine piloting course.  I'm looking forward to getting back on the water with the rowing group.

And the old dog is coming home after an over night at the vets.  She is doing okay and has been diagnosed with having some arthritis in her back and hypothyroidism.  Nothing fatal, just some more meds for the aged.  I will be glad to have her home.

Many blessings to each of you.