wedding thanksgiving

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. ~Thornton Wilder

A Thanksgiving meal is all about the organization, isn't it? (Well, when it isn't about the FOOD.) And I am this kind of organized:
I consider it art. It makes me happy. But it doesn't make an easy go of preparing Thanksgiving dinner for a crowd. But that's fine -- I like the challenge. Perhaps someone else doesn't...
I woke up early this Thanksgiving morning to find that someone had organized.... everything. Down to the cheese drawer in the fridge. Down to the pantry shelves and the drawer with the plastic leftovers containers and the drawer with the foil wrap and the rolling pins.
Smeone had even typed up the menu we decided on a week ago, and had printed out the recipes!
All of this was waiting for me in my silent kitchen as I padded into it just before the sun rose on Thursday.
As I searched for the turkey pan, I found this:
Really! I am not making this up. Does this young woman deserve a medal or what? She is one of the things I am thankful for this season.
As the morning turned into early afternoon, the house filled and many hands made our day happen.
Hands rolled the dough and chopped the pecans and washed the dishes.Several hands tended the fire.And when the feast was ready, we ate it... in my office. It was a touch too cold to eat in Irene, so we cleared off my door desk, shifted furniture a bit, and -- voila! -- had a grand dining room in what was originally the living/dining room of this old house.
What an amazing, strong, lively family I live in the midst of. We are not perfect, thank goodness. What we are is full of good humor, graciousness, and grace. These are our pearls of great price. They sustain us through the long absences and they lift us up in time of celebration.

My son Jason is married tomorrow. The celebrating that surrounds this event has already begun. It has brought family from near and far. Jim's mother is here from Charleston -- another mother for me to love. Steven is home -- how did we ever do without his smiling face and loving presence? And Stephanie... Stephanie is a beautiful gift to us all -- another sister for Hannah and Zach, another daughter in our family.

Something I learn, over and again, that gives me comfort on a Thanksgiving day is that humans are maybe the most resilient beings on earth. They keep putting one foot in front of the other, reaching for love. And, eventually (or maybe all along), it's there. It's there. It is.

Happy Thanksgiving, all.