Happy Thanksgiving

We love you all so much and will miss everyone this year. We hope to make it to the mountains for a first ski day, and then home to Trader Joe's and Costco's finest ;-). We are so thankful for wonderful friends and family. Here is a poem I wrote to share:

Thanksgiving Gifts

I climb a winding stair with a heavy load

My breath falls short, my arms ache  

The contents spill over the edge of my basket

As I wobble on the brink of every step

I pant and sweat, try to reach out and grab what falls

Though I can’t afford to let go even for a minute.

Ahead on the staircase I see people with bigger baskets

And an emptiness opens in my chest

I look down at my feet and then I see behind me multitudes

Thronging the stairway, some with baskets half-full and some with empty,

Some, in fact, with no basket at all – only bare hands.

My vision clears and I recognize the fruits I carry:

Friendship, family, love, health, food and shelter.

All is gift.

Now I let the contents spill freely

 I hope that my fallen fruits will land in their empty arms

The absence of a few blessings cannot dent my abundance

In fact, the load is lighter now, easier to bear.

Then I see you beside me, your basket empty on the ground

Your arms full of gifts to share.

You remind me that to be rich does not require abundance,

Only  enough, and my burden is no burden at all, 

But gift beyond measure.