Thanksgiving

Last night we had friends around for our own version of Thanksgiving dinner. While we didn’t have a turkey this year, we did have my brother-in-law’s famous sausage rolls, as well as a whole chicken, some lamb on the BBQ and a number of American sides - mashed sweet potato with crusty marshmallows and pecans on top and a jellied ‘salad’ - along with a potato bake and a green salad to boot. Our Greek friends brought along some home-made tzatziki which took the lamb to a whole new level.

It was a great night of fun and laughter as we sat around the two tables which we’d pushed together to fit everyone around. The only argument was whether sweet potato with marshmallows on top and also a layered jelly with fruit inside could be considered “mains” or not. Another bone of contention briefly appeared after I shared a Bundaberg ginger beer with another dinner guest, yet forgot to give it the obligatory gentle spin to mix it before pouring (my glass of ginger beer was very gingery whilst his was ‘like soda water’). With the gentle ribbing and laughter we had a wonderful time.

After we’d finished off the homemade pumpkin and pecan pies (or as much as we could fit in), we sat around the table for a special finale. One of our friends had brought individual pieces of paper with the statement “I’m grateful for (person’s name) because…” Each person was given the piece of paper with their name on top. Then it was passed to the person on their left, who then wrote a single line of what they were grateful for about the person who was named on the paper. The pieces of paper continued to be passed around the table, pausing as each person wrote on it with something they were grateful for. After a while of shuffling papers around the table and quiet writing, the paper had done the full circle back to its owner. We all then read why people were grateful for each of us. Very encouraging!

I often think about gratitude and how good it is for us. One study by Harvard Health says, “…gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.” Sounds good!

During uncertain times, finding things to be grateful for (and there are always things to be grateful for) is like oxygen that helps get you through even the most troubling times, and being grateful makes great times even greater.

Just a few thoughts as I ruminate over a great night of gratitude and friendship. Sometimes, we just gotta be, grateful.