Happy Thanksgiving!

It's just a special day. It's not a religious holiday, like Christmas or Easter. And yet we certainly
remember today to be thankful for all that we have. For family and friends. For health. Good fortune. All of that and more. Probably we are always thankful for these things. But today, we stop to take
extra time to be grateful, to thank our God if we are believers. We bow our heads - or lift our heads, depending on what is our custom. And we say thank you. Thank you for all of it. And thank you for
seeing us through the hard times. We ask for God's protection and for His favor in the days to come.

I'm hoping at this time on Thanksgiving evening, that you're easing down, taking time to relax and to
take stock of the day. Some have worked very hard to make it a special time for family and
friends. Others of us (me, this year) have had a very relaxing day. If you've been well fed and cared
for today, please remember to find a way to thank your cook. She/he is exhausted. Trust me.

And as things are quieting down, let's just take a few minutes to utter some extra words of
thanks. I'm going to wager that you've already said thank you for the wonderful food you've been so
fortunate to consume. And probably you've said thank you to God for your precious family and
friends. I know I have. Let's remember to be grateful for our men and women in service to our
country and to our first responders who serve us closer to home, daily. And just a sidebar, this is one area where social media is so valuable. By mid morning today I'd been in touch with loved ones from across this great country and even from across the world. It was a wonderful, warm and special feeling. In an era when social media can be so dark, this start to my day was a blessing.

I'm also so thankful for tradition. I touched a little last week about the traditions that we, as women,
have inherited from our mothers - such as the ways that we cook and bake. But more than that, we
have all taken on the traditions of all of our ancestors, in celebrating this wonderful holiday. Think
back, if you will, on the memories of Thanksgivings of your past, when we were children. When
mothers cooked and cleaned, as they do now. And when families gathered together, as they do now.
Remember the days we spent with our grandparents, our aunts, uncles and cousins. As I've done
some of that remembering today, it's caused me to "smile out loud" if you know what I mean. I have
some wonderful memories of being with Grandma and Grandpa Hasemeyer and other extended family.

I specifically remember one Thanksgiving as a child when my little family was hosting the day at
our tiny home. I remember how the house smelled with everything cooking and baking and how
excited my sister and I were to know that everyone was coming to our house. Somehow, as it turned out, there was room for everyone. By early afternoon the snow began to fall, unexpectedly. Obviously
technology was not what it is now. :) The snow fell and fell and our house full of people went from
excitement and wonder to some apprehension. How would everyone get home? Would they even
be able to get out of the driveway and on to the main road? But you know what? No one left
early. Everyone stayed all day and into the evening. Though I could not have explained it this
way at that time, in memory I know that on that day I felt somehow insulated and protected. As that blanket of snow fell and drifted all around our little world, I felt safe and warm and loved. It's a feeling that I still remember and a memory that I cherish after all these decades.

My hope for you on this Thanksgiving night, is that your day has caused you to feel safe and warm
and loved. And if you're celebrating tomorrow or Sunday or even next week, it makes no difference.
May you know that wonderful feeling. Each year is different. Each celebration and holiday are
different. Life enters in, with all kinds of problems and issues, but it's the feelings, the memories we hold in our hearts that last.

And now the craziness begins. As Thanksgiving ends, the Christmas season has officially begun. It's going to be a bumpy ride. It always is. Hold on tight and remember to be thankful.

"Christmas Memories...A Little Early"

I haven't posted here since Nov. 9. Sorry. Life has been chaotic and a little crazy. I guess at my age
that can be a good thing. :) I guess it means I'm still putting along. I'm sure you can all relate. Time flies and days are busy. Let's be thankful we are busy and that to some extent, we can still manage "crazy". Right?

I know that Thanksgiving is next week - less than a week away. Today as I was making my way through this and that around town - I could actually feel the electricity that accompanies this time of year. People are talking about the size of turkeys they have ordered or that they're about to order. Almost everyone asks one another, "What are you doing for Thanksgiving?" "Where are you going?" "Are you cooking?", etc., etc. It's a good excitement and it's just the beginning. For the next several weeks, it will be like that wherever we go. Bustling, hurrying, busy, busy, busy. Electric. During these weeks, let's try to also remember that not everyone is going to be bustling. Not everyone is going to be sharing the excitement and anticipation. Some people are alone. Others are not well. Many are
worried and apprehensive - for many reasons. Whether it's a phone call, a 'thinking of you' card, a
visit with a pot of soup........ anything that says 'I care'. I am going to make that a concerted effort.
Will you do it with me? I hope so. I need your encouragement as much as you may need mine. Thanks.

Here at home, things are bustling. Not by requirement but by design. We love to decorate for
Christmas. I say "we". I hope I'm right. :) The day after Halloween, all those fun decorations come down. I mean immediately. Nothing drives me crazier than to see Halloween decorations after Halloween! Just a personal pet peeve. And immediately after that, the Christmas TUBS begin coming
in to the house. Approximately 45 tubs. I know. I know. Bob and I are eccentric Christmas decorators. By that, I mean he carries it all in to the house from storage and I decide where and how it goes up.
I vacillate between tradition - such as this tree ALWAYS goes here - to trying to do things a little differently each year. Some years it's murder! This year it's gone pretty easily. We put up lots of trees - all over The house - and then there are the mantels, countertops, on and on. I absolutely love it. The reason for getting it up early is that we can then sit back and actually enjoy it. We don't turn on the lights until after Thanksgiving. But if I wait until after Thanksgiving to begin, we don't get to enjoy it.
I know not everyone enjoys the profusion of Christmas everywhere, but we do. It's a good thing Bob
and I agree on this. :)

Remember that old movie, "I Remember Mama"? Well, it's a sure thing that everyone reading this
does remember mama. I mean - we women always fix the stuffing the way mama did. We make
pie crust the way mama did. The older we get the more we tend to do things the way mama did it. Am I right?  As a child, our home was always a bit chaotic - for lots of reasons - and we didn't have
a lot. But my mother always made decorating for Christmas a big deal. Certainly we only had one
tree and it was a real tree. (Today, my trees are artificial, however.) Mother let my sister and me
put the decorations on the tree and we loved it. When we were finished, Mother handled the rest.
She used tinsel. Remember tinsel? Mother would begin hanging the tinsel on the tree. She did it all
day long and all night long, as she'd take a break from cooking or as she'd walk through the living
room, or just before bedtime and then early in the morning before we woke up. Any extra moment she had, she'd be hanging more tinsel! She'd still be adding tinsel to that tree until Christmas! And it was perfect, put on one piece at a time. It was beautiful. A  wonderful memory for me.

But before the tree, came the yule log. Before daddy would get the tree, Mother would get out the
yule log that she kept year to year. It had three red candles and it would sit on top of the television. We never lit the candles because she used them year after year. But when Charmaine and I got home
from school and saw that yule log on the TV, we knew the tree was coming soon and so was Christmas. Memories. I thank God for them.

I think we all hope we have somehow instilled fond memories in the hearts of our own children, memories that they will carry with them through their lives. Several years ago when Jamey came
home for Christmas, he immediately noticed that I had a different tree topper on the traditional
tree. He said that he remembered the angel that had always been on our Christmas trees when he
was growing up. Touchdown!!! I do still have that angel. Of course. If you know me, you know
that I still have that angel.

Well, tonight I've spoken more about Christmas than I have Thanksgiving and we haven't had either one yet. It's not that I'm overlooking Thanksgiving. It's just that I'm already in the throws of Christmas. Bear with me, please.

More importantly - I guess if I'm sending a message tonight, it's just this.  Whatever your traditions, whatever your holiday preferences or family practices, just remember to "soak it up", enjoy it, relish
it. Cherish it. Treasure it. It's fleeting. And I'm not just talking about Thanksgiving and Christmas.
You get the message.

By the way, my porch is screened in. Albert and I absolutely love it.

Nov. 9, 2016

Wow. I did not get to this blog last week. So much to do and so little time. It's a common
complaint, I know. But it's very realistic.

Today, I post, perhaps not in a way any of you or many of you will appreciate. But still I blog, because I can and because no one signs my check. Smile. Such relief. So if you do not approve,
sign off, never to sign back on - or sign off in forgiveness - or sign off and then sign back on when
you see something of which you do approve.

My blog today will be brief, fragmented, broken.

Integrity. Or lack thereof.
Ethics. Or lack thereof.
Honesty? Or lack thereof.
Regret for what is and what is not.
Morals.
Soul. Actual Soul.
Choices. And I do respect choices.
Differences. And I do respect differences. I celebrate them. How could I not? I embody them
for the most part.
Hope. Because I cannot live without it.
Joy. Because I will find it again.
Surprise, though I should not be.
Surrender, because what is my choice?
Acceptance, because what is my choice?
Respect. Though it is a monumental effort at this point.
Expectation. Which I will not discuss at this point. But to which I look forward.

Heartbreak. Devastation. Though the art/act of rising above. Which I will do because I have

Integrity.

Blessings to all.