Carnal Zen

Holidays are filled with merriment, food and in my world - wine.  Occasions with loved ones are marked by cramped kitchens and traditions.  One tradition that has emerged over the last few years of Thanksgiving with my “family by choice” has been to block out a few moments and have each person at the table share what they are thankful for before the food orgy begins.

This year as I looked upon the at corn souffle, apricot-fig stuffing, carmelized brussel sprouts, and sweet potatoes I was overwhelmed by the abundance.  There were tears, several times, around our small table as each person took their turn reflecting on the year since we last met around this table.  Today, we shared more than jellied cranberry and drumsticks, we shared stories of love, stories of loss and pieces of ourselves.

My 5 year old goddaughter stole the show.  She faced each of us, one by one, around the table and said “I am thankful for you”.  You can’t make these moments up but you can make time for them.  All of our lives are abundant with many gifts and millions of minutes that can become moments - if you let them.

Peace and gratitude.  Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 27th, 2008 at 11:56 pm and is filed under Being Present, Unconditional love, gratitude. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.