“Pockets”
Thanksgiving 2015
When
I think of Thanksgiving, one of the first words that come to mind is tradition. I think of how the kitchen is always the
warmest place in the house, with the oven going all day and food and people
occupying every available space. I think
of my sisters running late, or my mom napping, or my dad finding a quiet place
amidst the chaos. I think of the spread,
a mishmash of Asian dishes next to the customary sides, and how I’ve never
known a different kind of Thanksgiving.
This
Thanksgiving is different though. Anthony and I have had the most amazing year bringing
Sophia into our lives, and I think about what I want her to experience with us
as our own family unit – what I want her to see, to learn, to someday pass down
to her own little ones.
Yet I
also think of all the other days during the year. The “every” days, the in-betweens, the
fillers, the do-overs, the ones burdened by schedules and deadlines and
mediocrity. I think of those days
because they so quickly add up to a year, and I only pause when I think about
how to summarize that year into a single day.
For
someone who thrives on planning around the clock – preparing bottles and
presentations and family events and meals and even when I’ll be able to catch a
bit of sleep – Sophia has managed to shake up my life in ways I had expected (yet
couldn’t have really expected). She’s
effectively thrown a wrench in my best-laid plans, and in the best possible
way. She’s shown me that it’s okay to be
loud when others are quiet, to make my voice heard. To look around and take in the world a day at
a time. She’s taught me to grasp pockets
of time, and to cherish them for what they are.
To recognize not only her milestones, but mine too. She’s made my most ordinary moments extraordinary,
opening my heart up in ways I didn’t know could be expanded. She’s reminded me to slow down when needed,
and to give myself a break once in awhile.
To prioritize and to sacrifice, and to not feel guilty about my
choices. To appreciate every smile,
every coo, every wiggle, every breath.
To see. To be.
And
most of all, to be thankful. To be so,
so, thankful.
So
for someone who used to plan my days from one to the next – here’s to the
unforeseen and unexpected. Here’s to
off-roading and discovering sweet surprises in places that wouldn’t have been revealed
had I stayed the course.
Happy
Thanksgiving to my wonder baby, and my wonderfully adoring family, both present
and in heaven. May the pockets of your lives
be boundless and remarkable.
