My Thanks

We define and redefine gratitude throughout our lives. From the sleepy contentment of a child with a full tummy, to a mother's relief, when the paycheck covers a little extra something for her babies, to a grandparent's prayer for self-sufficiency, gratitude evolves. Sufficiency evolves continually, as well. We are moving so fast just we don't see the changes in our expectations. What is sufficient depends on so many factors, doesn't it? On a hundred-degree day it can be a sip of cool water.

Maybe during this season of obligations, stacked one on top of another, you're most grateful for the remains of the day. From this perspective, shoes off, feet up, even the kitchen clutter has a happy feel. It is the deep breath of peace, the afterglow. 

     
Elderly men and women living alone, may seek solace reflecting on holidays past. Or we're praying, just like our younger counterparts pray, we can stretch the food budget a little for a celebratory meal. This is my year of small rebellions. I thought, rather than bake breads and rolls on Thanksgiving morning for the family feast, I'd order brioche from a bakery down the street. The owner, Clarke, bakes classic French rolls and pastries -- they are superb! So the temptations of a luxurious sleep-in, leisurely bath and a buttered brioche Thanksgiving morning became irresistible. Reality hit in the cashier's line at the grocery store -- everything, from the dog's food to the ingredients for cranberry relish, was more expensive than I'd anticipated. 

To give thanks in solitude is enough. Thanksgiving has wings,

     and goes where it must go. Your prayer knows much more 

     about it than you do.   Victor Hugo

This morning, I walked the dogs past the bakery, to pay my tab and cancel my holiday order. I swallowed my pride and apologized to Clarke, saying my budget hadn't quite stretched to include rolls. As we walked home, I resigned myself to the tasks of the week ahead, including the bread baking. Within an hour or so, a phone call came from the bakery -- the order was paid, and would be ready to pick up as arranged! I couldn't recall paying. Either my memory is shot, or somebody picked up the tab for the bread of Thanksgiving. 

Another shop in my neighborhood, a boutique for cats and dogs, has hired me to work all four weekends in December, so Christmas will be a time of plenty, rather than worry. I'm so grateful for the people in my life, for my family and extended family, who support me wholeheartedly. I wish each of you, my readers, a lasting ahhhhhhhh!