Being thankful helps me rise...
Hello. The turkey is in the freezer. The phone calls arranging plans have begun. Slowly, we start to reassemble. It’s different for my family now that our children are grown. We return to be together. And yet the word “return” isn’t quite right.
Last year, the morning of Thanksgiving I read a Native American prayer story. An older woman welcomed new guests into her home with a chant of thankfulness for the joy it gave her upon seeing faces she had never seen before. The description of her burst of delight with a spontaneous song and dance honored her ability to celebrate the moment. She stopped and freely gave thanks.
I wrote down her exclamation of joy and read it at our Thanksgiving dinner. It seemed important. As the mom of the group, it’s easy for me to hold onto seeing my adult children as much younger than they are. Maybe that’s more about me wanting to be of service to someone in need but then I miss seeing how much they have grown as people and getting to know them now.
Humbly, at dinner, I read her words and asked each person, myself especially, to work on seeing everyone sitting at the table as if they were a new person to the group. And then I asked each person to share something new that they had done or learned while we had been apart.
The sharing was touching. Surprising. And I was deeply thankful for what each person shared.
I was reminded that every person, at all times, is in the middle of their own hero’s journey. Who knows how someone is currently struggling? Who knows the triumphs? Who knows the losses? Who knows the bravery? Who knows the wisdom gained? Unless we take time to ask. Unless I take time to ask and then listen.
Looking back, I don’t recall if the turkey was dry. If I ironed the napkins or used them wrinkled. If the gravy was thick enough. But the heartfelt sharing I remember. Feasting on that meal still feeds me.
The thawing of the turkey will begin soon. A delicious meal is being prepared. How we see ourselves and others doesn’t have to stay frozen. Asking new questions is possible. Listening with an open heart is possible. And asking myself to see faces I have never seen before— even in my own children, especially in my own children— helps me be curious and kind and also grow in how I see them.
Writing this note to you, reminds me how hard it is for me to do this! And I’m thankful that I’m willing to try.
On a different note of thanksgiving, I am thankful for your reading of this letter I write each week. It has been something I have asked myself to do… no matter what. And I am grateful for the time you take to receive the drawings, songs and words that I share.
May Peace be with you.
~Kat