November Blog

Thank You...
We say "Thank You" when someone does something nice for us. We feel thankful when we do something nice for someone else. We are grateful for the people and animals in our lives. We give thanks for them. Giving thanks is the simplest yet most generous way of expressing the way we feel about those around us.
​It costs nothing. It's truly priceless.

On Thursday, November 28th, 2019 we will be celebrating Thanksgiving here in the United States of America. Families and friends will gather around the Thanksgiving table to share a harvest meal together. Depending upon your families traditions, a Thanksgiving meal is as diversified and unique as the many nationalities that inhabit our great land...from sea to shining sea.🇺🇸 

When I was growing up in our "Italian/American" household, a Thanksgiving meal consisted of...antipasto; lasagna; tossed salad with oil and vinegar; turkey; mashed potatoes; gravy; sides of vegetables; whipped sweet potatoes with mini marshmallows melted on the top; nuts (in the shells that you cracked yourself); dried & fresh fruit; Italian pastries; cookies; pumpkin  & apple pies...apple cider, seltzer, wine, coffee and tea. WHEW!!!! And "mangiare" (eat up in Italian) we did!! We often laughed because by the time we served the turkey we were all full. The turkey was an after thought during our "Italian" Thanksgiving feast. Our grandparents (from "the other side") wouldn't have wanted it any other way.  That is until one day my dad made an announcement... 'This year, he said, we're going to have a real American Pilgrim Thanksgiving." So, we deserted the Italian cuisine and went with a more traditional menu. In fact, my dad did his fact finding about the harvest festival celebrated by the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the New World in October 1621 which is commonly called the "First Thanksgiving." We welcomed the new tradition with open arms. We had New England Clam Chowder with corn; turkey; stuffing, mashed potatoes, whipped sweet potato casserole with tiny marshmallows melted on the top. (Yup, I know...I know...the Pilgrims did not have tiny marshmallows and  sausage stuffing, but we had to have the marshmallows and sausage stuffing!!!). To us, we now enjoyed a "traditional" Thanksgiving dinner that most Americans were enjoying as well. I never felt bad about deserting all of the Italian dishes because we saved all of them for other more religious holidays. Besides, as Americans we felt the need to embrace our American roots.  I'll never forget that year...it was a new beginning for my family. 

This year will also mark a new beginning for my family, albeit a sad one.

This year is going to be very different for me and my family. Loosing my twin sister, Yolande, on October 20th 2019 is still quite painful. I'm thankful for the years I had with her.  I'm thankful for the love she shared with me everyday. I can only imagine that as we celebrate all of the ways God has blessed us this Thanksgiving and future Thanksgivings that she is smiling down from Heaven knowing that we tried our very best to give thanks always. That's how she lived her life everyday!!
Taking the time to be thankful for all of our blessings is all part of the Thanksgiving Holiday. 
I want to take this time to thank you my global family for everything that you do to make my world a better place 😘

Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving, everyone!!!

Happy tales to you,
xoxo Yvonne