Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Giving Thanks: A Cornucopia of Blessings

So here in Canada-land we just had our Thanksgiving holiday, and for us, Thanksgiving is a harvest festival. (Not about pilgrims) A big part of the celebrations for my family, like many others, is to have a huge dinner together as a family and to give thanks for our many blessings--especially the food that we have available to eat. My Dad's grew up on a farm and was the youngest of 11 siblings, and we still celebrate Thanksgiving every year out at the farm house. This year there was only 22 of us, and that's a SMALL group! (We can hit upwards of 40 on a good year, with an entire branch of the family not attending because they total almost 40 on their own!) Celebrating Thanksgiving on a farm helps to drive home the message that Farmers supply us with our food, and without their hard work we wouldn't have any.

 
Thanksgiving is one of my favourite days of the year, partly because my birthday tends to fall on Thanksgiving weekend quite frequently, so as a kid I got to celebrate my birthday with my WHOLE family, and would often get a birthday candle in a piece of pumpkin pie..... MMmmmm pie.

This year Thanksgiving was even more special because it was the first one I've been a Mama for and this year I turned 30. (GASP!) So these two events have really got me thinking about life and all of the things that I'm incredibly grateful for. The biggest thing is of course my family--the boy-o, my hubby, my parents and in-laws, my sister, and my grandmother who is one of my favourite people on the planet.
GiGi (Great Gram) and the Boy-o, Thanksgiving 2013
 
Really, when I think about it, I have more blessings than I can count and I hope that I can pass on awareness of those blessings to the boy-o as he gets older. I hope I can instill in him the appreciation and thanksgiving of knowing where his food comes from and who cares for it while it's growing, and who spends the long late hours harvesting it so that it can end up on our family table.

I also hope, maybe more than anything, that I can be the kind of mama that my boy-o will grow up to be thankful for, and that he will know above all else, that his family loves him.

 
What are you really thankful for?
Happy Thanksgiving!
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7 comments:

  1. MeasiOctober 15, 2013 at 11:15 AM

    I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving. :) It's a harvest festival here in the States as well, of course. I'm looking forward to ours next month.

    Congrats on your kiddo... he's adorable! My first was born this past March (also by C-section). It's pretty wild going through these traditional holidays with a new perspective, isn't it?

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    1. UnknownOctober 15, 2013 at 11:41 AM

      Thanks for your comment Measi. It really is a whole new adventure to celebrate things for the first time as a parent! I'm not generally a big fan of Christmas because the mass commercialization of it all makes me sick, but I am really excited to introduce the boy-o to all the other things that make the Christmas season so special--many of which are the same as Thanksgiving really! :)

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  2. AnonymousOctober 15, 2013 at 11:15 AM

    Hi Sarah,

    I didn't know much about Thanksgiving, though had heard a little about it. Thanks for your thanksgiving post, I now know a little more about it. :)

    Coming from today's UBC chain.

    Raspal
    http://raspalwrites.com
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    1. UnknownOctober 15, 2013 at 11:43 AM

      Thanks for stopping by Raspal. Thanksgiving is really about spending time with your family and looking around you to acknowledge all the goods things in your life, including the good things you have to eat!

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  3. UnknownOctober 15, 2013 at 11:38 AM

    Thanks for your comment Timothy. The best part about Thanksgiving though, is that you can celebrate it from anywhere! One of my cousins lives in Japan now, and he still celebrates Canadian Thanksgiving with his own family and friends every year. I hope you get to celebrate again soon!

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  4. UnknownOctober 15, 2013 at 2:06 PM

    Happy Birthday and Happy Thanksgiving!! I'm in the States and I cannot wait for ours. I will miss my family though. We live in Texas and my family is in Georgia. It's been 3 years since we spent Thanksgiving or Christmas together. I will have a lot, however, to be thankful for!! Oh and my children call my Mama Gigi also!! Glad you had a wonderful time!!

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    1. UnknownOctober 15, 2013 at 7:33 PM

      Thanks Lauren!! I know it's rough to be away from family for the holidays. It doesn't help that it's always more expensive to fly during those times too making it even more difficult to afford!

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