In all things, give thanks...

It's Thanksgiving Eve- I would love to be all snuggled down with my boys, but they are with their dad. It sucks.  When choosing to get divorced I knew that this would happen, and that it would be sucky. Still better than the option!

So, breathing through the sucky, and enjoying the decorating of the adult tree, as we did the kid tree all together earlier this afternoon. My kids have finally gotten the concept and loved finding all of their yearly ornaments. It was awesome! So now I am cooking and baking, and doing all of the traditional Thanksgiving Eve things. The flip side of this is that the turkey I just basted isn't for me. The cookies in my car? Not for me either. Don't get me wrong, I have some yummy stuff that I will partake in as well, but they're the "side dish" to my day of giving thanks.

I am grateful that I can afford to buy a few packs of white socks for those who live on the streets.
I am grateful that I can afford to make a meal for those who cannot.
I am grateful that I live in a country whose icon of liberty is engraved with these lines:

"Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

I am grateful that I have the freedom to defend these lines against those who disagree (Ummmm, hello Governor?)

I am grateful that my life is full of people who feel the same.

I am grateful that my town has a whole parish of people who live their lives with similar ideals (I mean, really- check out the explanation of our "icon" of the flaming chalice).
I am grateful that I will be able to welcome my boys home Friday into a home that is warm, with a fully stocked fridge and pantry. 
I am grateful that we will make memories. 

Really, though, I am grateful to BE. I will always be indebted to my parents for being a living model of how to live life gracefully and with gratitude. When I was talking to my mom tonight and wailing about my boys' "gimme gimme" attitude she reminded me that I was the same way at their age- and that I grew to recognize the good that we all have in us- race, gender, class be damned. We are all humans, we all need help at some time or another- and that ties us all together. This holiday isn't about heading into a store to get awesome prices on something that we really don't need- it's about recognizing the good is us all, and doing what we can each do to better the world. That might just be by thanking whomever makes our coffee on the way to a big family dinner, or it could be passing out some warm socks to the panhandlers that approach our car as we dash to the store that is open to get extra cranberry sauce. 

I'm not saying that every person, everywhere, should eschew the creature comforts and family traditions- I'm just saying that we should be grateful that we have those comforts and traditions!

Remember that we all have a gift to give, and never doubt that one person can change the world, even if it's just the world of one person. Do good. Be kind. In the words of a pretty awesome Reverend, blessed be.