The rains of late October, falling through an autumn sun.
Has it been three weeks already since the first of November? How time is flying this year. And now, it's the morning of Thanksgiving day. The turkey is in its brine, the menu is planned around a Paleo theme, the house is mostly clean, we await the arrival of our guests, and I'm trying not to think about the buttload of work I have to get back to after the holiday.
As I reflect upon the things I'm thankful for: family, friends, sunshine, rain, the seasons, life itself--I am reminded as well about adversity, about those people, even in the midst of all this bounty, who have little to celebrate; about Thanksgivings in my own past which were colored with poverty and bitterness and being alone.
I am thankful those days are gone. I'm thankful that I am with who I am with, that I have two wonderful children who love me, that I no longer have to use a calculator when I go to the store, that I have decent employment with adequate insurance coverage, that putting gas in the car isn't really an issue, that I live a pretty comfortable life now, after early setbacks and adversity. I am thankful for all of this, and just for being alive today to enjoy the lovely sunshine pouring in through my windows.
As I reflect upon this day of thanks, I am full of both sadness for human failings, and hope that we all can look forward to a better future, that as a people and a nation and a world we may put aside our political and ideological differences and work together to achieve it. I may be an idealist, but I wish for peace in the world, and an end to hatreds of all kinds, even those that reside in the darkest places in my own heart.
Happy Thanksgiving.
