Gratitude for us

I've been feeling all kinds of thankfulness and not just because tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  I celebrate the coming together of family to dine together over a special meal that I've taken weeks if not months to plan and make. You hope it is one free of argument and that all the kids will like what you've created.  This year I'm making cauliflower tacos, potato vindaloo, a lentil dish, mashed potatoes with Jaime's  vegan gravy, cranberries with oranges, naan bread, and Vegan for Everybody vegan pumpkin cheesecake.  This is a mish-mash of Indian flavors and some old standby favorites and it probably will look nothing like most Americans more traditional turkey and stuffing. You do you. This is more us. We all have our own identities and the food we eat is part of that; a mish mash of flavors, personalities, likes, and dislikes, allergies, and food politics. 

I'm glad my son is vegan because he's in it for all the right reasons; he cares about animals and their rights.  He's empathetic and is doing his part for the environment. My husband is a meat eater but he takes care of that himself. I am a vegetarian and my daughter is allergic to tomatoes which is a fairly new discovery after her elimination diet this summer. That adds a kink into lentil dishes and soups but after some research I discovered this person's blog, Delishably, and she has the same allergy and shared ideas about substitutes that will work for my lentil dish. Bravo!

I'm grateful my family pushing me in new directions for I love to cook and cooking the same way or things all the time is not me. I live by the motto "Try new things...whatever they may be"

I'm grateful for a husband who works hard to make our house up-to-date with fresh paint and new looks.

I'm grateful, especially right now, for our continued good health. It's hard to say this with so many falling ill with Covid, like cancer, it comes in so many different forms.  

I'm grateful for all my people that have kept me sane during this difficult time of lockdowns and crazy politics.  I appreciate the friendship everyday.

I'm grateful for a job I love that is more passion than drudge work. I love sharing the love of books with my students even though some of them do not care for my love of books and enthusiasm.  It's okay. I love them anyway. 

I finished an extraordinary book this morning, This is how it always is by Laurie Frankel, and I just marveled in her storytelling!  She's a person worth exploring more about and I plan to recommend this book to my book club. I was thankful that I had the morning to "laze" away reading so I could finish. I look forward to celebrating tomorrow's Native American Heritage Day because for me it is far better to spend the rest of November celebrating in prayerful meditation the ancestors of our land that came before us. 

 In gratitude to my readers! Thank you.