“Full Circle”
Thanksgiving 2022
Last year at this time, we were in sunny Florida, taking advantage of Sophia’s week-long Thanksgiving break from school with our first big road trip with the kids. My mother-in-law (Mu) had surprised us after we had arrived, and we spent the next few days soaking up the sun with her and Nan, Aunt Colleen, and Uncle Mark, enjoying seafood outdoors by the water, walking on the beach, visiting Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park (one of our favorites) and “Monkey Island,” kayaking, and staying up late with the kids. One day we ordered a Greek feast from Tarpon Springs for dinner and I remember finding ways to use our leftovers with our Thanksgiving meal. Speaking of Thanksgiving, Eli fell asleep in the stroller before the table was set and then woke up later to share in the festivities with Grandma Carol. Sophia wrote a story that she asked everyone to read, and I think we’d all agree that Uncle Mark’s interpretation was the best. The next day, we met up with more extended family and then were on our way to Savannah for an overnight stay on the ride home. It was such an amazing time together and a memorable trip for the kids.
Leading up to the trip, I started a gratitude tree with the kids where every night in November, we’d write something we were thankful for on one of the leaves to gradually fill the branches. We were filling up two trees in parallel so we could surprise Aunt Colleen and Uncle Mark with theirs in Florida, and it served as a centerpiece on the table the whole time we were there. Sophia has still been talking about that exercise so earlier this week, I asked her to decorate the following leaves on her own for a virtual gratitude tree.
Sophia is thankful for: Mama, Dada, Eli, family, and Bianca, her cat.
What this demonstrated to me, so simply, were a few things. She is thankful for the people around her. We, essentially, are her circle of trust (yes, a Meet the Parents reference). She holds those who are gone dear to her heart – we lost Bianca over two years ago, but Sophia still talks about her frequently. What our seven-year-old depicted so beautifully and easily was what matters most to her.
Thanksgiving has a way of teaching me to reflect and reset my perspective every year. Amidst the flurry and clamor in the kitchen with every available surface in use, tripping over our kids running through and forging a path where there is none, a cacophony of clanging pots and pans and little feet and oven timers beeping and laughter (and sometimes yelling), I feast on all the welcome noise and delicious smells and unruly scenes before me. For in this disorganized chaos, I see life – messy, cluttered, unscripted life – and I am reminded of what we try to teach our children all year.
Yes, there are plenty of big events to remember – trips, holidays, birthdays, celebrations. Yet I’d like to think that our kids can discern those “in-between” moments that fill up our days and the leaves on our gratitude tree. Sophia’s excitement for school. The proud look on Eli’s face when he can put on his shoes. How Sophia says “Eli” (uh-lie). When Eli watches Sophia do something like a hawk and then attempts to do the exact same thing a second later. Sophia singing all of the words to a Red Hot Chili Peppers song. Eli requesting “Dirt” (“Buy Dirt”) and “Wagon Wheel” after reading 23582350 books before bed, no matter how many times you tell him it’s the last one. Watching Sophia swim or run on the track team or skate on the ice like a natural – she can do whatever she sets her mind to! Eli with his practiced “please” and “thank you.” Sophia walking her brother down the aisle at church and to Sunday school. Listening to Eli sing every song he knows in the car. Sophia formulating an idea and then creating it out of paper, markers, and a pair of scissors. Eli exclaiming, “Oh, my gosh!” to literally everything. Sophia climbing the counter like a monkey to grab herself a plate and cup. How Eli gives the best hugs and still loves to snuggle and hold hands at bedtime. Realizing Sophia is old enough for play dates on her own and doing math in her head. Eli embracing his toddlerdom to the max – there is absolutely no reasoning with a two-year-old. Waking up to both kids in the bed and wondering when and how they got there. These are our moments, in our circle, that shape and define all that we seek and are grateful for.
So this Thanksgiving, I am thankful for my husband of 15 years. I am thankful for my beautiful rainbow babies. I am thankful for family near and far, who will be at our table and those who will be missed. I am thankful for another year to celebrate our hodgepodge of moments and glimpses and in-betweens, and appreciate them all as sacred and life-giving, as purely as a seven-year-old would.
