A heart of thankfulness

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all! In true night-owl form, I am up late enough to usher in the first moments of Thanksgiving 2011. 

I'm up, but not because I'm frantically running around scrambling to clean my house and get a menu ready. I'm just up toodling around, getting some things ready for tomorrow, mostly because I'm like a little kid and can't sleep when a gathering or something exciting is about to happen. 

As I was cleaning earlier in preparation to host my in-laws tomorrow, I felt abnormally relaxed. Usually, I would be bouncing off the walls, shouting demands like a drill sergeant, and tending to every nook and cranny of my home in hopes of achieving the "perfect" Thanksgiving.

But not tonight. I stopped while wiping down a dining room chair and thought, "Hmm, wonder why I feel so relaxed? Why, I don't feel stressed at all." 

Then it hit me. I realized that Thanksgiving (or any gathering, for that matter) is not about how clean my house is or how wonderful my meal turns out. It's about the love that is going to fill my home, reverberating off the walls and easing the souls that are contained within. 

We are going to eat. Oh, good Lord, yes, we will eat! We are going to fellowship. We are going to share laughs, hugs, and full tummies all around. 

Do I care if my floor's so clean my guests can eat off of it? No way.

Do I care if my guests feel loved and cared for while they are visiting my home? Absolutely. 

That will be the perfect Thanksgiving. 

Have a blessed and happy Thanksgiving!

God bless,

Miss K

Let's practice purposeful prose

It's November now, and Thanksgiving is upon us. I love Thanksgiving, but I often feel like it is just one day that fleets by before the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season begins. It breezes through our home in the aroma of stuffing and pumpkin pie and leaves only remnants of full tummies wishing they were housed in elastic-waist pants instead of jeans with buttons and zippers. It should mean more. It DOES mean more. 


What if we left Thanksgiving with more memories than grandma's mashed potatoes and grandpa's blessing before the meal? 


What if we were Thankful on Paper? This is a grand idea cooked up by my fellow blogger, Rachel, over at No. 17 Cherry Tree Lane. I think it's a splendid idea, and do wish you would join me in showing your gratitude to those you love this way for Thanksgiving 2010. Basically, every Wednesday in November, we're going to write a letter to one person we are grateful for telling them all the reasons why we are thankful for them. Then, every Thursday in November, we are going to blog about who we wrote to and why. We can use our discretion on the blog posting part if we choose to keep it private. :) 


Check out the link above for further details. Here's a button to get you excited.

I'm very excited to do this, as I am one who loves to write and loves to receive letters, even though I don't do it as often as I'd like. I know, we're talking real, handwritten letters here, folks. Who knew you could even do that anymore? You can, and you will touch the life of your loved one with your letter of gratitude. Won't you join us?


"Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart." ~ William Wordsworth