As we speak, this wonderful, witty woman is making + baking a Thanksgiving feast.
Good times at my birthday
(To avoid confusion, I’m referring to the woman who is not me in the picture, of course. You know by now, yes? I don’t cook or bake. I am very thankful others do!)
Molly is my fabulous American friend who is hosting Thanksgiving dinner tonight with her French partner. I think it will mainly be French people, which is why the feast doesn’t begin until 8 PM. (Don’t they know you’re supposed to eat and drink all day?! Well, it is just a regular Thursday here, I suppose.)
No matter, this allows me more time to reflect on what I am thankful for.
Which, of course, includes my wonderful friends and family. And my health and my body and my mind. And my ups and my downs. Joys and pains. And the fact that I live in Paris. And that I come from North Carolina and New York. My apartment on Rue Alexandre Dumas. Ericka down the road. Tea. Books. Laughter. Lessons learned. New learning always on the horizon….
Wait, wait…the list is going to grow very long if I keep on like this.
My friend posted a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson that can help me out here.
”Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”
Yep, that about sums it up. ALL THINGS. All the time.
Wishing you a very happy Thanksgiving. Thank you for letting me share my quirky little life with you and sharing your kindness and generosity with me.
Great post! I’m thankful for our friendship. Have a great Thanksgiving!
PT
Me, too! And thanks to you for pointing me to the quote!
I learned about gratitude lists at my first Al-Anon meeting and it was a life changer.
Thank you for sharing your Paris life with us.
Wonderful. Thanks for sharing, Lee. Yes, my life has changed since I’ve made it a priority to say what I am thankful for every day.
Happy Thanksgiving Sion! See you soon I hope. And yes, we all have lots to be thankful for and we should remember it more often!
Thanks, Erica. When are you back in Paris?!
Happy Thanksgiving to you as well. I think I need this day to remember that there are so many things to be thankful for in life. Enjoy your dinner! Ah I do believe you are in the middle of it now.
Thanks, Buffy. It ended up being a feast for 35 people! One of my more memorable Thanksgivings. And yes, it’s so important to remember how much we have to be thankful for. Before we ate, we all held hands and went around the circle saying what we were thankful for. It was great!
That really sounds like a wonderful time! It was just my two kids and my dad for us. My mom was just here not too long ago. Last year was probably our best; even my son agreed on it being so. We went to a coworkers house in the country. His family was in town. There was an ATV to keep one son company. I fell in love with the wii, dance 2. The next day we took the medic unit to Best Buy and I made the purchase. I set it up at the firehouse and dare the guys to have a dance off for PT. They are afraid of being put on You Tube since it happened to one who took the dare. Anyway, there is nothing better than sharing food and stories with friends and family; not to mention a little dancing.
Oh that sounds great, Buffy! You know how much I love to dance, too, so throwing that into the mix definitely increases the fun!
I’m thankful I get to peek into the life of an American living out a dream (with all its ups and downs) in Paris. You’re an inspiration, Sion.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Oh, thanks Jen! I’m thankful to have such awesome readers like you!