Thanksgiving Reflections

As I sit here with my morning coffee in the quiet pre-Macy's Parade hours, I am pausing to reflect on the real meaning of today. Yes, we are thankful all 365 days of the year for many different things and for many different reasons, but there is something magical and extra special about THIS day. It definitely comes with its own TO DO list based on where you live and the role you play in your family, but even in the midst of the very long and labor-intensive Thanksgiving Dinner Preparation list, I still hold to the belief that today is shrouded in some kind of wonderful "magic". 

Even just looking at my own list for this morning, I feel the magic...

• The turkey is in the oven, slathered with SYM infused butter. 
• The table is set using our "good" Rosendal dishes from Denmark.
• The cornbread is crumbled and waiting to be assembled into traditional cornbread dressing (because stuffing is for pillows). 
• The eggs are boiling, which is the first step to getting them deviled. 
• All the sides are just waiting to be assembled at exactly the right time and with exactly the right ingredients.
• The list is made with precisely scheduled times of when I will take what from the oven and when I will put what in.
• And each member of the family is tucked away in their beds, not really knowing what all goes into making this meal all come together at exactly 1:00pm. (And I would not have it any other way!)

These things may not be magical for you, but they are reminders to me of the investment that I WILLINGLY make in my family every single day. Some days I do better than others and some days, I just want to ask for a do-over, but MOST nights I can put my head on the pillow, knowing that everything I did was for them. I want what I do in my life to make their lives a little richer, a little fuller, and yes, even a little easier. 

I play many different roles on a daily basis-- from wife to mom to MoMo to mother-in-law (still figuring that one out with my SPURS-loving SIL) to daughter to sister. Each role is so important and so defining of my inner character. But regardless of which role my crew sees me in most often, I hope and pray that they would attest to the fact that within that role I GIVE. I don't want to be remembered for anything other than that-- I want them to know that I exist to GIVE to them. Sometimes the giving is tangible --just like today's meal-- but most days it's invisible. Sometimes what I think I am giving and what they are receiving (or wanting to receive) are not always the same, so we wake up the next day and try a little harder. Sometimes that giving comes as simple encouragement. Sometimes it has the face of accountability. Sometimes it comes in a bleacher or in a text message or in a plate of leftovers. And sometimes it is just a presence. Being quiet and not saying a word--just being. And while that one is the hardest for this advice-giving/world-problem-fixing mom, that one just might be the most important type of all.

So honestly, my hope today on this special Thanksgiving Day 2015 is for Mads, Jess, Jacob, Corrie, Jeff, Dad, and Jennifer to know that I want to give of myself to them and for them every single day.