Happy Thanksgiving

One of my favorite holidays. There are no cards to be written. No gifts to be bought and wrapped. No menu planning or anxiety about what to serve. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is on in the morning. Stuffing (or dressing, if you call it that). Sweet potatoes. Pumpkin pie. What could be better?

I do love this day. It's a chance to enjoy our extended families, repeat traditions that grow richer and sweeter with the passing of time, and reflect on the many blessings God gives us.

Funny story -- wait, I shouldn't over-hype this. It's mildly amusing, to me, and has a certain personal embarrassment factor that might make it funny to you. Let's start over...

True story: This morning I got up early and started prepping the green beans that I'm bringing to my sister-in-law's house, and then left for 8:00 Mass. I even double-checked the bulletin on the parish website. Yep, 8:00 a.m., Thanksgiving Day.

On the way there, I reflected on how it seems that whenever you make the effort to get to daily Mass, God always somehow gives you that time back, no matter how busy you think you are.

I arrived at church just on time -- to discover that the bulletin was wrong. Mass had started at 7:30 and was just ending.

Several other people had been fooled, too. Turns out there was a separate note in the bulletin that had the correct schedule.

But, you see? I made the effort, and look how much time God gave me in return! Time enough to write this post.

So what am I thankful for this year?

• My dad is home from the hospital, after 24 days there.
• The wonderful people who work in hospitals and rehab centers.
• Of course, my husband and children and the myriad of blessings associated with having this wonderful family.
• The times of sadness and stress in my life which make me more aware of God's mercy, and which make the easy, happy times so much sweeter.
• Friends and relatives near and far (hello, Bayfield and Bay View and "Lake Country", WI, and Illinois, and South Dakota and Maryland and Pennsylvania and Texas.... )
• Immigrants, including my great-grandparents, the Scottish nurse and Indian doctors who cared for my dad, the young woman from Bosnia who helped me at Lenscrafters yesterday, the older woman from Argentina in the dress shop, my sister-in-law from Paraguay, my good friend from Argentina, all the young men and women from Eastern Europe who work in the Wisconsin Dells, the people from Mexico who work in our favorite pizza place, the Grand Master of our Tae Kwon Do school from Korea, all the immigrants who work hard to learn English at the literacy center where my aunt volunteers.... everyone who ever came to this beautiful country for freedom and opportunity.

May God bless all of us today and always. Happy Thanksgiving!