Thanksgiving and Christmas have always been, in our family, days where we invite friends and strangers into our house, to share the love and laughter that is us. Each holiday has been as unique as the gathering of people. Yana from the Ukraine, Fidelia from Nigeria, Robert from the Louisiana State Penitentiary - and many, many others - have added breadth and depth to our experience.
This Thanksgiving, however, I woke to the quietest holiday ever, just my daughter and me. She had stayed the night, a rare event, and I was glad of it. We drank coffee and relaxed and reviewed the evening's menu - dinner would be at her house - and then she was gone. For the first time in 48 years, I was alone on Thanksgiving Day.
What to do? - BIKE! - I hopped on and took a long, long ride into the crisp autumn day.
Traversing the hills of Douglas County, I enjoyed something I have never enjoyed before - hours and hours of Thanksgiving ~ literal Thanksgiving ~ gratefully thanking God for the many beautiful people, breath-taking experiences, and amazing gifts that have comprised my 2011.
I am especially thankful for this new blog, this journal of the amazing people who cross my path and brighten my life each day. I can't wait to read snippets from this blog a year from now, when I will have recorded not dozens, but perhaps a hundred impressions of people pouring kindness and compassion and creative beauty into this world.
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