The giving of thanks

On this eve of the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S., I pause to think of the many things I am thankful for and find that the list is quite long.  Taking a step back from this list, I can then marvel at how incredibly fortunate I am to be born into these circumstances, at this time, with these people.  A friend of mine who writes a beautiful blog that I encourage everyone to read says it better than I can here.
Last night, after the baby was in bed and the rushing around of house cleaning was complete (enough), my husband and I sat and talked about how we wanted to go into this holiday season - with what intention? We each specified things we wanted to cultivate in ourselves as we enter what can be a stressful and rushed time.  For me, I put forth the intention to bring a light air to things - instead of getting bogged down in the details of the chores I didn't get to in anticipation of visiting friends and family or maybe a part of the feast that burned - just accepting and appreciating with a sense of humor and wonder.  This is not an easy task for me and is not my strong suit but in wanting to model for my child, it is becoming increasingly clear to me that not making a big deal out of these things and letting it cloud over all that I do have, is so very important.  If I see it through his eyes - the visiting grandparents, the new foods, the few days off that we all have together where no one has to go to work, the Christmas lights in the park - it is easier to appreciate and to marvel at this world. 
So, tonight I go home early from work to my son, husband, and my parents who drove 10 hours through the rain to join us for the holiday.  Tomorrow morning, we wake and put our very expensive but very healthy organic free range antibiotic-free turkey in the oven before heading over to pick up and deliver not as fancy turkey dinners to the many in need who live just within blocks of our warm, cozy house.  Then the friends and their children arrive. 
I think of my brother who battles mental illness, cannot work and at nearly 40 years old, lives in half-way houses often out of communication, out of work.  We were born and raised in the same circumstances, but our karma was and is different.  I don't know if he has someone to spend this holiday with or anything that he can appreciate, but I hope so.    
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.  May you find something to appreciate, no matter how small, tomorrow and in the coming weeks and may you be able to take the time out of the mad rush of cooking and seeing family, followed by the overbearing leap into the Christmas season, to breathe, reflect and give thanks.