23 Nov Thank you.
JNovember 23, 2023
“Thank you,” from Stephanie Springborn and all that is Winds Paradox…The Thanksgiving football game is ready to begin and I write. This year I wait for family members to arrive. I have been cooking for days, just a little at a time each day. The main dish is in the oven and the crockpot cradles a new macaroni and cheese recipe.
(Yesterday I baked pies. It has been nirvana cookery. A feast of the chef already snacking herself beyond reasonableness. I mean, someone has to sample the stuffing! Am I right?)
I have been so blessed this year with the gifts of family and friends! I have people in my life. Oh my, life is grand!
The Season of Wishes
I never really thought of Thanksgiving as the season of wishes. Wishing and dreaming seem to be more Yuletide related. But I found myself waiting at the butcher shop for my turkey and roasts. It’s one of those old fashioned places which buzzes when customers enter and exit. The small shop smells of smoked meat, cared for and cured, presented and wrapped. It smells of promises of Sunday meals and gatherings and healthy, planned meals.
As I waited for my order to be prepared, I gathered butter from their display case and specialty beef sticks. Each time the door buzzed with its opening, I caught myself glancing. I smiled to myself, caught in the memory of a dear friend. I could imagine him, chuckling as he would walk through the door, making everyone laugh with a quick joke.
What he would be wishing, I wondered. My order was prepared and I paid my bill. As always, they helped me with my packages to the Jeep. I am not sure how he held the door for me, but he did. I smiled as we chatted about food, recipes and the weather. Somehow, I felt as though I had been wished and granted kindness.
Surely I must pass along such a wish?
By chance, a day later I either saw or saw a doppelgänger of an another dear friend. I had been driving when I just saw caught a glimpse of someone I may have recognized. Either way, the sight and the idea of wishes swirled in my imagination. I had not spoken to him in many years. And what would I wish him? I would wish surprises. I would wish that life would happily grant him surprises.
To you all.
So strong, yet so brief were these holiday instances. They seem almost precursors to the coming Holy season. But on this morning when my Thanksgiving preparations are ready and I have opened windows for fresh, sunny, chilly November breezes, I want to thank you all. I want to pass along, without delay, the kindnesses given to me. I am grateful for a life in which I can even imagine happy surprises.
Thank you so much! May your Thanksgiving be loving and lovely. May any time that you spend either alone or together be filled with kindness and delightful surprises.
Love to you all, Stephanie of Winds Paradox
