So Very Blessed

“Let us be thankful to the people who bring us happiness; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” – Marcel Proust

 I love Thanksgiving ! Besides the added prayers of thanks,  I love it because its all about the people and the food! For me,Thanksgiving used to be the calm before the storm- the storm of Christmas. It was the last day for me to one hundred percent enjoy the holiday season. Now, don’t get me wrong, for as you can imagine, I'm a big kid during the Christmas season- the whole Christmas season. I am a walking Hallmark movie! But the younger me, as with most 'youngers', was all about the presents and the pomp and circumstance. Shopping for the perfect gift within my means(and most times above my means), turning my home into a Hallmark movie, and preparing the perfect 5 course Italian Christmas meal. The issue was trying to do it all and working full time. When I think back on what I used to accomplish while working, I amaze myself! What an amazing machine woman are- when you stop and think about it, we are the true backbone of our world. We can juggle and balance not only our life, but those who live with us, and those who we work for. I will constantly give shout outs to the full time working moms out there- you are a force to be reckoned with! Thanksgiving is special because there are no presents, no crazy decorations, just the people and Tom Turkey( who I do feel very, very bad for).

We go to my godmother’s on Thanksgiving, and I love it! Twenty or more big, loud, crazy Italians and more food that should be allowed in the free world! But when I do host a holiday, or any company for that matter, I have to admit I’m a perfectionist. I want the house perfect, and the food is always over the top. I want my guests to long for nothing, and feel as if they are home. However, Jimmy and Carley will both tell you, I’m a drill sergeant the days leading up to the holiday. (There’s actually a really funny you tube video I’ll link below that kind if sums its up!)

https://youtu.be/GBwELzvnrQg

I love every second of putting a holiday together, but it took many years, to let go of the reigns a little. Tamra and I share that trait; the -“I’ll do it myself, because I can’t trust anyone to do it the right way “thinking!) I have come to relax more with age, and although I still want perfection, I’ve learned to let somethings go. Holidays are a juggling act ! But one thing is for sure, I don't think I ever lost track of the true meaning of these holidays, I guess because my mom never did. 

Thanksgiving, as most of us have come to realize, is more than the festivities. This holiday gives us the perfect time to reflect, think about lessons we have learned, sprinkle happiness around, perhaps be more grateful for the mundane,and look back at all the great memories we have made this year. It is a time when we are most grateful for our family and the good people who came into our lives. The entire Country Craft Creations Family wants you to know how much we appreciate you and how thankful we are for your presence.

At this time of Thanksgiving, we pause to count our blessings. I’m personally grateful  for my family, my friends, and this year, I am profoundly grateful for all of you. The laughter, fun, joy, caring, and of course the inspiration you all give so freely of is incredible. I am thankful for the freedom of this great country in which we live. It’s opportunity for achievement and an incredible lifestyle that is offered no where else in the world. I am thankful for all living creatures, especially cats, dogs, alpacas, hippos, sheep, horses, whales, birds, giraffes, dragonflies, well- all animals big and small!

As we age we see that the best gift of all to give this holiday season is our time. Putting our cell phones down and talking face to face, eye to eye with each other. Helping clear the tables, bringing a fun board game, watching a holiday movie in pajamas together with big fluffy blankets on the floor. Time is priceless, cherished, irreplaceable and fleeting.

The holidays  for many of us are vailed in bittersweet memories of loved ones no longer here to celebrate with us. I know many of our CCC family have lost loved ones this year and in recent years. For many, this will be their first Thanksgiving without them. Talk about a juggling act. Somehow finding the strength to get up and go through the holiday motions for family and friends, while your heart is breaking with each memory that floods your brain. When I first lost my parents, (and still today), I felt as though I was walking through a field of land mines during the holidays, a field of ‘memory mines’ I have come to call them. Little blips of time when they were still here, that come to you without warning,  and fill you with such intense joy and overwhelming sadness at the same time. What wouldn’t we all give to have them back for just one holiday, let alone five minutes. For me, the smallest thing can jolt  a rush of such despair .A feeling of such longing to just magically feel my mom’s arms around me. Whether it be taking out her favorite mixing bowl, or dusting her picture on the mantle, or hearing a song. There are times when I am alone, sometimes just driving in the car and an overwhelming sense, literally takes over and stops me in my tracks. I become somewhat paralyzed and I need to catch my breath as I can actually feel her presence- physically, I feel her right next to me. I know I sound crazy, but it is undeniable. I know she is here at those times. I know it with every fiber of my body, and I want you to know your loved ones are really here too. I hope you can sense them at times too.

Let’s all stop and take a deep breath right now—freeze time for just two or three minutes. What are you thankful for right now? Is it your ability to be enjoying coffee and reading your paper ? Is it the hot water coming out of your shower , the heat coming out of the furnace, that food in the pantry, the shoes on your feet? Is it because you have time to enjoy the people in your life that are still here and love you so much? Have you retired from a lifetime job and now have the gift of added time? There is a perfect commercial that speaks to this that I linked below - I hope you watch it- it puts everything into perspective.

https://www.facebook.com/ForestHillSouthPark/videos/1290315797707803?vh=e&d=n&sfns=mo

Thank you Tamra for giving us all a place of joy. Where a little dog , and his daily antics can make us belly laugh .A place where we can journey together on this winding and bumpy path of life. Where we create the most special vessels to hold fast our cherished memories, whether old or new. Scrapbooking gives us a place to remember, heal, celebrate and share precious time with each other. We are all so blessed.

So, from everyone in the Country Craft Creations Family to yours, we send a special greeting of Thanksgiving to express to you our sincere appreciation for your friendships, support, confidence and loyalty. We are deeply thankful and extend to you our best wishes for a happy and healthy Thanksgiving Day. We keep you all  in our thoughts, prayers, and hearts. May every blessing be yours this holiday season.

“Family isn’t always about the people in your life who are blood relations. It’s about the people in your life who want you to be in theirs. It’s about the people in your life who accept you for who you are, support you in the things you choose to do and no matter what, are there for you. It’s the people in your life who love you, respect you and who you can depend on. Now that’s family!” -Anonymous

With Joy In my Heart,

Sallie