Giving Thanks or Thanksgiving?

Turkey, and Stuffing and Pie, Oh my!

I’m coming clean, I am a total holiday nut.  I’ve been counting down to this week for more reasons than one.

Reason ONE

We’re that much closer to the marathon we’ve been training for all year,

Black Friday!

Reason TWO

I am officially allowed to take out and unpack my Christmas decorations.  YAY!

And…

Reason THREE

uhhhhh…yum!  The food!

Thanksgiving if full of so many comforting self indulging treats from Sweet Potato casserole topped with those tiny little marshmallows, to stuffing dripping with tasty gravy, to savory slices of pumpkin pie loaded with whipped cream.

Ugh I can feel the tryptophan induced coma coming over my body as I type this, but before we get to the food, we should say grace.  What?  There’s no one named Grace in your family either?  Our family really isn’t into saying “grace” however, we have started a daily tradition as of late called “Highs, Lows and Thanks.” 

This tradition has proven to provoke all sorts of conversations from more serious thoughts such as health issues, politics and religion to ideas as simple as being grateful that we’re having burgers for dinner vs. Liver.  Yuck! 

Either way, it’s gotten us all to give thanks daily which frankly….feels…well, it feels good! 

About a year or so ago while reflecting on my so called life, I began to feel very grateful.  Things were going really well as a bright eyed newlywed.  To put it mildly I felt blessed.  As I sat wasting away on the couch watching the boob tube I became overwhelmed with the feeling that I should somehow be giving back -But how? 

Ask and you shall receive. 

Out of the blue, an opportunity to take part in a mentorship program within our community appeared-with that, I joined up. 

Filled with wonder and excitement I set out to change the world.   I was paired with a 17 year old high school Junior.  Totally overconfident, I was sure that I would save her soul and change her life forever. Funny enough, working with this young girl throughout the past year and a half, has taught me more than I’d thought possible.  Why had I come into this program with the pre-conceived notion that she’d need changing at all? 

The program is really pretty low key.  We have about 20 face to face meetings per year combined with various weekly email correspondences.  We are also asked to participate in weekly “assignments”.  These assignments are more like little popcorn kernels of ideas designed to provoke Mentors/Mentees to get started on a topic. 

Most recently our topic was called “Giving Thanks”.  Nothing confusing, basically we were asked to use 3 examples of people or things that we were particularly thankful for this year.  Sometimes simplicity can be a beautiful thing.  These little high school topics can really get your mind going.  Before I knew it, I was in tears typing out my assignment.  Seriously, this program is becoming more and more like a personal therapy session for me!  Who knew? 

Though sharing my Giving Thanks assignment with you might seem appropriate given the upcoming holiday, it’s a bit too personal, even for cyberspace.  I would however like to share a previous one. 

This particular test of emotion was entitled “I Am”.  We were given a basic template to follow. 

No judging please J 

 “I am”

I am stronger than I knew but would rather not know.

I wonder what will come next.

I hear the children's innocent laughter again, and it feels good. 

I see that my husband is distracted. 

I want to hold him and make his sadness go away. 

I pretend daily that we are all better. 

I feel like there is no end in sight.

I touch his face at night to show him my love. 

I worry that we will never get back that stupid in love feeling. 

I cry because I’m overwhelmed. 

I am hopeful because hope is everything. 

I understand that life has a way of planning itself. 

I say that praying matters but fear that it might not. 

I dream about the future. 

I try to stay positive.

I hope that something great is right around the corner. 

I am stronger than I knew but would rather not know.

As I stumbled through this poem I was again brought to tears.  (mind you I’m not even PMSing!)  Sometimes it’s hard to face the facts.  It’s not always sunshine and rainbows.  At the end of the day, though things might not be perfect right now, I realize that I am still blessed, maybe even more so now that this little girl is in my life. 

Who are you? 

If you’re feelin’ it, give the “I am” assignment a go! If you want to share, feel free to post it below, or send it my way  at keeperswife.blogpot@gmail.com

Happy Thanksgiving one and all!

~The Keeper’s Wife