Thursday 22 November 2012

Happy Turkey Day USA!



Happy Thanksgiving to my friends to the South! I'm sure by now many of you are either in the midst of preparations or already at the table enjoying a wonderfully prepared meal.  I hope all of your family and friends have arrived safely to their destinations and someone out there is saving me a piece of pumpkin pie! Ha!!

I like Thanksgiving. Granted, in Canada, we do it in October when the weather is way nicer! The leaves are changing colour, the weather is just hitting the Fall coolness. I love coming in from outside and smelling the turkey cooking and feeling the warmth of the fire in the wood burning stove. The best part for me though, is that Thanksgiving is just Thanksgiving.

Okay....I see the puzzled looks. What I mean is, the main focus for Thanksgiving is 'Thankfulness'. That's it. You don't need presents, or decorations. I'm fortunate my children live at home and working dinners around girlfriend's families hasn't been difficult. We just enjoy this super yummy meal together. Share memories, laugh, eat pie with real whip cream like it will never run out. Its not hard to be thankful.


I am sure you are all being asked what you are thankful for today and I am sure many of you all have your standard pat answers ready and waiting. You are thankful for you families, jobs, health, wealth....and don't get me wrong, those are great things to be thankful for. But how about a can of cinnamon buns in the fridge when you have a sudden huge craving? Let me tell you...my son's girlfriend is extremely thankful that tin is in there today! Ha!!

I think sometimes we get to caught up in the moment of holidays. We think everything has to be perfect, everything has  to be deep and meaningful. But is it worth it to be so stressed over a day?

I think at the end of the day, we need to step back from all the hustle and bustle of these very high stress and high expectation days and just be thankful for the little things that really matter. Like yummy warm cinnamon buns when you reallllly had a craving! And I know I am very thankful that I can share moments in time with all of you on such a great day!

Happy Turkey Day!! 

Thursday 1 November 2012

Its The Same Backyard...

Good Day Everyone! Nov 1 and it's snowing quite steadily out my window. No late winter for us I am guessing. My boys have stocked the side of the house with wood for the wood burning stove inside, winter jackets, boots and mitts are all out.

My little 6lbs dog that we nickname 'Prey' because she flinches at everything just LOVES snow!! I open up the back door and she just shoots out there like a little bullet. No sniffing and gingerly checking to see what may come swooping from the sky. No second and third backward glances to see if I will follow to protect her. Nope...Kira (Prey) just boots it out there, skids around the slippery corner and plays in the backyard until I call her back inside.

Its funny. Its the same backyard. Only thing that's changed is that there is snow back there. So why the change of heart? Why the big heart of bravery?

We see this in ourselves too. We live day in and day out in the same environment until one day some small (or large) thing changes. Could be a book we read, changing the furniture in a room or maybe the death or birth in your family. All of a sudden we step back and shake our mental selves and say "Hey! I can do more then this!"

So my friends...as you gaze out into your backyards this week...I hope you see what makes you brave. Even if its attacking that book you always said you would....or going back to school (YEAH Patti!! Way proud of you!!) Just remember, no act of change is too small to try. Just think of my silly little dog skidding around to the backyard.


Have a great day everyone! Stay warm!