Thankful

Today, I am overflowing with thankfulness.

What started out as a nice Thanksgiving dinner in our small condo; an excuse to get our parents together and use all the “good dishes” the Husband and I had received as wedding gifts earlier in the year has grown to a big family gathering.  Gone are the days of soft background music, adult conversation, and lingering over coffee and dessert at the table; in it’s place we’ll have the sound of 10 little feet running around the house, the happy cries of a new little baby, shrieks of delight and loads of giggles, and a playlist courtesy of Disney.  And we couldn’t be happier about the glorious chaos that it will be.

This weekend is my absolute favourite weekend of the year.  I get to spend today and tomorrow in joyful preparation for this annual dinner.  I love every minute of being in the kitchen and of tidying the house (made much easier thanks to all the tidying that’s been going on here over the last few weeks).  And I love how our family can now operate like a well-oiled machine.

And as I move about the house this morning, getting set for the cooking that lies ahead, I’m able to quietly think about why it is that I feel so gloriously thankful.

I’m thankful for the Husband and how incredibly close we are; and the fact that we have found little ways to honour each other on this weekend (he sends me flowers and the pecan pie I serve is made specially for him).  I’m thankful for the kids and how excited they are to help with the preparations (how far we’ve come from the year I was 9 months pregnant with the Older one to now when he’s right beside me peeling and chopping potatoes).  And I’m thankful for all our extended family to make the journey to our house and help make this weekend so special.

Of course, there are a million more things that I am thankful for right now; I’m thankful for where I am right now in my life.  I’m thankful for my friends who make each day a little brighter, (and who have encouraged and supported me with this little adventure into blogland).  I’m thankful for the joy that I have found in the gym; in how my body can now move, the strength that I have developed, and the anticipation of the strength and movements that will come in the future, and of course, for the people that I get to spend my time in the gym with (I believe you know who you are).  And I’m thankful for the gift of the future and being able to quietly wait and see what it will bring.

I wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving.  And I hope you too are overflowing with thankfulness this weekend.

And if you are looking for a little something else to be thankful for . . . try this recipe for pecan pie.  I have worked with this recipe for years now.  But, due to the influence of the Coach, I modified it last year and replaced the corn syrup with maple syrup.  It worked out beautifully.  Feel free to use corn syrup if you are partial to it, but the maple syrup is better for so many reasons.  I use the America’s Test Kitchen pie dough recipe (yes, the vodka REALLY works).  But again, due to the Coach’s influence, I use only butter (so where it calls for shortening, I just add in more butter).  It seems to work fine, and I’ve had no complaints.