Taking Stock

I don't know about you, but right about now I am making a list of all the things we're going to need to make Thanksgiving dinner. I'm checking my stock to see what we have and what we still need. Even beyond the most obvious: the turkey, the green beans, the sweet potatoes and all the ingredients to turn these into family favorites, are the non-food items like table cloths, centerpiece, napkins ... and, of course, a good turkey pan. So many things to think about, so many lists to make.

It goes without saying that another list we all tend to make at this time of year is the list of things we are grateful for. It's a wonderful time to do that as we celebrate the harvest and all the wonderful things the earth has provided us with to feed us body and soul. It's a shame that so many people wait until this one holiday to make a list of things to be thankful for. I start each and every day with a "thank you" to the Universe for everything in my life, every sunrise and every opportunity to greet a new day with infinite possibility.

There is another list that is useful to make when we are taking the time to count our blessings. I call it Taking Stock Of What No Longer Serves Me. I like to do this at this time of year because while I am "taking stock" of things to be grateful for, I am also more aware of those things, events and, yes, even people, who have passed through my life but need to be released for whatever reason. Sometimes people have grown in different directions and need to follow a different path. Sometimes the family has grown so large that you may consider celebrating the holidays on a simpler scale so there will be more time to be together and less time being exhausted. For others, it may be that the family has gotten smaller, scattered across the globe, and new ways to celebrate that give meaning to where you are in your life now need to be created. Whatever needs to be on that list, put it down. Say thank you for the memories and lessons they have given you, and then let them go. Make a ceremony by taking it outside and burning the list, letting the ashes feed the earth. Or, if you live near water, let it take sail into the waters of renewal.

This year we are coming together as a family and doing Thanksgiving dinner together rather than have the burden on just one person. Each member is contributing something even if it is just their time and their kitchen to help cook the meal. With so many loving hands working together, we'll all be able to take time to watch Santa come down Broadway at the end of the parade to usher in the holiday season. And won't that be something to be thankful for?

And so it is.