“Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don’t unravel”
Good advice, though I can’t sew. I can’t even loosely baste a seam. I failed sewing in the seventh grade, for the teacher didn’t consider it fashion forward to have the armhole of my jumper positioned at the hip. I didn’t do much better at home economics (yes, they had courses such as this – let’s save the shock and awe for another day, shall we?), though I excelled at pudding. And passing notes.
Which retrospectively suggests that I had my priorities straight even then – as long as you had good people around you, everything else would follow. Take care of the ones you love. Pass the notes, hold the secret, righteously defend (“Mimi would be an exemplary student if she were a bit less social”). Ah well. It is with this limited skill set that I have built my house. Ultimately I bought the drapes and learned how to cook. And though no one would mistake me for Martha Stewart, I’d say this is a pretty awesome home. People curl up when they get here, they nestle in. Shoes come off, defenses are shed, talk is uncensored, silence is religious. There is nothing more transcendent than this.
Our Thanksgiving plans got derailed by my little surgery a few days back and we’re staying here instead of heading up to New Jersey. The kids will be with their in-laws. And as much as I will miss the noise, the laughter, the hugs – I am fortunate enough to have all this love around me every day. The air is filled with “I love you’s”, each room holds secrets told in whispers that repeat as favorite lyrics co-written once upon a time, and there is comfort in the sighs of the couch as I settle in to listen to the stories of home. When I feel the sun on my back and I find magic in this very moment, I know that my bounty is as massive as my gratitude.
So as many of you head points north, east, west or south – travel safe. Eat a lot, laugh more, grab a nap. Take a walk, give out hugs. Share your love. Enfold these moments in your heart, for they will become the most gorgeous aspects of your home. They become the most treasured parts of you.
Waiting for the Karma Truck 
I took home ec too–not that we had a choice–loved the eating part but not the sewing. Have a happy Thanksgiving Mimi–nestle in and enjoy yourself and heal. As I am Canadian there will be no traveling this weekend for me
Our youngest is in Toronto, and will be staying there too..Enjoy the weekend regardless – I don’t think gratitude should be relegated to one day anyway! 🙂
me either – take care of yourself young lady!
Have a wonderful, restful holiday!
Thanks Maureen – you too!!
Take care Mimi…and enjoy a different feeling of self-contentment on Thanksgiving! 🙂
I hope you have a fantastic holiday!! And thank you – it’s all good on my end..hugs., m
No HomeEc for me, I’m afraid–all of my learning was “on the job,” so to speak. 🙂 Can’t sew much more than a button on a shirt (and have been known to sew a sleeve to my pants leg on at least one occasion :-/) but can wield a pretty mean spatula, spoon and carving knife in ‘la cucina.’ Your Thanksgiving plans sound flat out awesome, honey, and not unlike my own. I just grabbed a copy of Anna Karenina out of the library, we’re building a fire and mixing a pitcher of Bloody Marys (no driving to be done here tomorrow) and snuggling in. I may not have those I love right before my eyes tomorrow, but they are in my heart, and for that reason I am truly blessed. Happy Happy Thanksgiving, dear friend….xoxo
Well I am one of many who love you and celebrate our friendship despite the absence…I wish you and David a wonderful Thanksgiving – from the first sip of the Bloody Mary to the last chapter of Tolstoy..much love..xox
Thx honey, a wonderful holiday to you and Andy and the Sirs+2 as well….xoox
As I have already told someone once today, I am the reincarnation of Donna Reed. However, Home Ec. did not allow for a lot of creativity, and so while I knew what I was doing, I was not doing it their way. I never looked back. My way works for me. I will have all home for Christmas, and a few home for tomorrow. I am so grateful for my family, no matter where they are! Happy Thanksgiving, Mimi!
I envy your talent!! And the creativity to do it your way. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving – enjoy every moment! hugs, me
Hi Mimi, great thoughts as we head into the holidays. Enjoy Thanksgiving, and take care of yourself!
Thanks Frank – I hope you have a great holiday!!
My mother always said she knew when I was sewing – it was the only time she heard me swear.
– Have a wonderful and quiet Thanksgiving. Quiet can be especially sweet.
It certainly can…I hope you have a great holiday too!
As a Buddhist I’ll leave the management of a household to the lady of the house, with pitching as required, I’ll hide in the shop. Oh wait that sounds like junior high school, back in the 70s lol
I was always envious of the guys who got to go to shop..:-)
I have the other half of the jumper :). I just love the way you write. Like your home, your words invite the reader in, off come the shoes and the burdens as one settles down for a hearty dose of love, laughter, wisdom, warmth and gratitude. Thanks for getting behind the wheel today and putting into words what those of us in your wonderful circle of friendship know – you reap what you sow(or sew) and metaphorically speaking that jumper was a work of art. Happy Thanksgiving. To the moon and back…
Only you would consider my efforts a work of art Jo…thank you for laughing with me..and for being so close to my heart always..enjoy your holiday, hugs to Ben and Jenna and biggest hugs to you…To the moon and back, me
Lovely post, Mimi. Hope your Thanksgiving is peaceful and healing.
Cathy
Thank you Cathy..Hope you have a wonderful, joyful holiday! hugs, m
“Give out hugs”…yes that works wonders and sometimes we forget
Have a great day 🙂
Sending you a bunch of hugs!!
Hugs to you too 🙂
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Mimi! I must say I’m happy to hear you were so social in school, it gives me hope. I have been hearing that about my son since pre-school! It’s a miracle he’s gotten to 12th grade.
My parents would have told you it was a miracle I graduated at all!! And yet..something tells me that your son is going to rock the world. Social skills are becoming increasingly rare and increasingly sought after..
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! 🙂
You too!! 😉
Beautiful. It sounds like you will be having a very nice Thanksgiving even with your little change in plans. I hope you are recovering well.
I think I just barely passed the sewing part of home economics. If a shirt drops a button in this house it goes to a pile to collect dust and eventually moved to a different pile to be used as a rag. The buttons go into a jar and are played with by the children. I think I have sewn buttons on only a couple shirts in all my days. I do, however, have mad sewing skills when it comes to restitching Cody’s favorite stuffed animal Kissy Shrimp. That is a necessity, buttons on shirts are not. 😉
Well of course!! Kissy Shrimp totally trumps any other sewing requirement!! The heck with buttons!! have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! hugs, m
“Mimi would be an exemplary student if she were a bit less social”. Spewed my drink out after reading this. 🙂
Happy Thanksgiving…
Laughing..I would have enjoyed seeing that..
Well now I’m a little goose-bumpy. I myself had “issues” with sewing in 8th grade home-ec and slid by with a D- or something. I did at least learn how to make a very tasty, if lumpy, chocolate mousse, and a Quiche Lorraine. Ooo la la
Enjoy your comfy nest and don’t do, just be (Did I mention that before? Yes, I know how hard it is!)
I promise to try…and I also promise to never suggest that we form a sewing circle. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving dear friend! Hugs, m
I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and it was all you wanted it to be…………
Thank you Joanne – it’s very early here but so far, so delightful.
Happy Thanksgiving Mimi enjoy your day. I am sure your home is very cozy and warm as you are!
Hoping you have a lovely and loving Thanksgiving holiday Tina!! Enjoy and relax and delight in all the riches of the day!
I do plan to do that, this year is very different for me also as none of my children are here to celebrate with us, but we will see them in December. So quite it will be just us and our puppies 🙂
Hello fellow note-passing friend; my holiday will be equally quiet this year, save for an attempt to run 6.2 miles in our local Run to Feed the Hungry run …. I will report back on how that goes!! I hope that despite being derailed that your holiday is warm and cozy. I too did not do well in Home Ec, took sewing lessons in 8th grade and by the time I finished the pants I decided to make, I had outgrown them! Oh well… Happy Thanksgiving my amazing friend! xoxo Bon
At least your pants were in the proper shape, if not the right size!! You’re way ahead of me as always!! Good luck with the run — and one day you must tell me who comes up with these arbitrary numbers like 6.2 – why not 6.4 or 7.12? Enjoy the quiet and hope you find some space to just curl up and breathe…xoxo
No kidding, on the distances, I actually have no idea!! And it always amazes me how hard the .2 or .1 always feel!! I was just happy to string together 6 miles in one run, cannot remember the last time I did that! Enjoy your day my dear, well, what remains, since you are well into the afternoon at this point! 🙂 xox and gobble gobble!
Happy Thanksgiving to you Mimi/Twinky, I hope you are feeling better. Another beautiful post and yes we should be grateful every single day. hugs. Renee/Twinkle 🙂
Thank you Renee/Twinkle!! Better every day (and even better once these stitches come out on Monday) – and grateful everyday too – yes, definitely..hugs, m