I can begin this month’s song of gratitude with a shout-out to the tween clean-up team who again last night showed up to take the rest of our Halloween candy away. They arrived with tiny kids, and I would have said they were babysitting, except for the car cruising along quietly with them, as they went from house to house. Shout-out to the parents who drove their kids from another neighborhood to take my candy! I ♥ you all.
No, seriously, I love you. Don’t think you can leave me in a house with a bag of caramels unsupervised. Bad Things Will Happen. Trust me.
So, this is the month of gratitude and the first thing I’m really thankful for is that I’m getting Thanksgiving off! Yes! After HOW MANY YEARS of being the hostess – about fifteen years before we went to Scotland, and then, definitely, all six years since we’ve been back in the States – I’ve been on the hook, and I am DEEPLY GRATEFUL not to have to clean my house to the necessary level of scrutiny, overjoyed to just bring a couple of dishes and a centerpiece and not have to worry about all the sides, so, so glad to skip the anxiety and the stress, and to be able to get up and go if Predator strikes and I need a nap. My mother is no more energetic than I am this time of year – as a preschool director, she’s scheduling rehearsals for the Christmas show by late November – but two of my sisters are eager to take the hostessing on, and Mom’s just as happy not to have to drive to my house. Win-win-win-win. Thank God.
thanksgiving afternoon
the empty house waits
a nest of blankets, empty
doors and windows closed
on the couch, a book, open
knows the story will resume