Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of my favourite holidays. I love the aroma of turkey cooking in the oven and pumpkin pie for dessert.   The glowing light from the lit candles bring ambiance to the room and when glancing out the window one can see the changing colors of the season.  The sound of laughter from the very young to the old brings out the best in everyone. Thanksgiving is also one the of holidays where food, family and friends are what we focus on, rather than other holidays such as Christmas where gift giving seems to have become the main focus; candy at Halloween; gifts and chocolates at Valentines; and chocolates at Easter again. So, it is nice to have one holiday where one doesn't have to think of gift giving...

Growing up in Sweden, Thanksgiving was not a statutory holiday and other than being recognized on the calendar it went unnoticed. I remember my 1st Thanksgiving in Canada whereby a family I met on a 3 week holiday in Florida invited me to share in their Thanksgiving meal. I was 19 years old at the time, and I remember thinking how nice it was of them to invite a complete stranger into their home. But this is what Thanksgiving is all about, being thankful for what we have but also to reach out to others and share amongst one another. No one should have to be alone on Thanksgiving.

This year, good friends of ours invited us to celebrate Thanksgiving with them. We love to visit their home. They are a large family with strong family values and since we don't have an extended family in Canada, it is nice to be included in their family celebrations. So, this year I am thankful for all the simple pleasures I got to enjoy this year and for all the wonderful people in my life and for the realization that less can be more....