Giving Thanks

Last Thursday was Thanksgiving Day in America and since I’m married to an American, we didn’t want to feel left out.

Thanksgiving is a lovely holiday with many of the hallmarks of Christmas: family reunions, great food and full-on decorations. The upside is that, unlike Christmas, it doesn’t have the pressure of gift giving or quite the same expectations of perfection. It is a sort of ‘Christmas light’ where everyone gets together, eats, drinks and hopefully thinks about all the things for which they are grateful.

International thanksgiving

With our sons in America, we couldn’t have the usual family feast, so we decided to do one for those who were also separated from their families. Mariia has a number of lovely local friends, so we had a sort of Ukrainian Thanksgiving with a few sympathetic Brits added for good measure!

One couple who attended had run a morning coffee and activity every Saturday morning for Ukrainians and their children – a life-saver for those finding their way in a new country. (They also hosted a family) Our neighbour, John, is a professional activist. We all had seen the impact of the Russian invasion on those who had to flee.

So, although it was a very joyful evening, it was also a very poignant one.

Smiles and sadness

After we had worked through a delicious bowl of borsch, made by Mariia, and three gorgeous mains made by my husband (venison stew, pheasant breast in cream and nut roast, for those who want to know!) it was time to give our thanks.

It is traditional, in America, for each guest to speak a few words about that they are grateful for and so we did the same.

And with such a gathering, the platitudes were left at home. Each person spoke movingly about their thanks and when Svetlana spoke about her appreciation of the Ukrainian troops, I wanted to cry. Scrumptious wee David, at the front of the photo, lost his father fighting in the conflict. I don’t know how his young widow retained her composure.

The Ukrainians were fulsome in their thanks to their families and the UK for sheltering them, but it is as much we that should be thanking them. Without their tremendous resilience and courage; the hardships their troops have had to bear, Europe would look very different now. Putin had no intention of stopping at Ukraine. Without them, we might all have been pulled into the maelstrom of war.

Time for something sweet

Our next course was dessert and it gave a good diversion from serious thoughts. As is traditional, I made pumpkin pie and some tasty, if rather exploded, apple spice pies.

With coffee and Ukrainian chocolates, we wound up the evening and said good-bye. It had required quite a bit of planning and effort, but we were so glad that we were able to do it.

End of the evening

Alas, the evening was not quite over for us. There was a mountain of washing up to do and Jeff had to drop some guests home. But we managed it all with a smile, buoyed up with the success of the dinner.

Of course, one doesn’t have to find a special day to give thanks or host a meal or even join with friends. Each and every day is an opportunity to show our gratitude for the innumerable blessings we enjoy.

It may be fashionable to complain, but it shrivels the soul and narrows the mind. If you have been kind enough to read this, perhaps you can think of something, no matter how small, for which you are glad.

I start each morning giving thanks for a new day and waking, as the Southern expression goes, ‘on the right side of dirt.’

Christmas break

With so much happening between now and Christmas, this will be my last post until the New Year.

I hope the holiday season is a good one for you and that you find joy. In a blink, it will be 2025 and until then, much love, Karen x