Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving was spent warmly tucked in at home.  Aden was immersed in his birthday gifts.  I was occupied with cooking.  Dave rested up, nursing a very bad cold.  Our thrifty little turkey breast was herb-fully moist and delicious out of the crock pot.  My pumpkin pie with the home-made crust looked like an abomination, complete with a not-quite-right consistency, but was oh-so-delicious.  The garlic mashed potatoes were the masterpiece of the day, better than the stuffing with its overly wet and gooey spots and other, still-crunchy, bits.

This holiday was a time to reflect on life.  But really I thought a lot about how jumbled and survival-oriented things have been lately. I've been working hard to keep the low points off the blog for the most part, meanwhile we are enjoying simple pleasures.  Aden has been as happy as ever, and that is a huge source of gratitude.

I marvel at Aden's capacity for resilience, joy and enthusiasm for life. At our little Thanksgiving dinner, for example, he was SOOOO excited about having turkey, and just thrilled to try cranberry sauce again (he has not liked it in the past).  He oooooh-ed and ahhhhhhh-ed over the pie with an ecstasy rivaled only by my grandmother's joy derived from feeding her family!  I thought of her throughout the meal, wondering what she would have thought of such an exuberant and verbally prolific eater.  She would have been a better match for him than me - keeping up with his love of food is a bit of a challenge for someone who lacks a great love of the kitchen like me.

This time last year Aden was recovering from his illness.  He is completely over it in every way, something that didn't seem possible even last February when he was still a bit tentative and clingy.  I am happy that is over.  And in another year, there are a number of things that I also hope will have passed.  Here's to change and healing and better times!