This morning came early for me. I awoke to the buzz of a text message. Nothing important. It was dark and quiet. Peaceful. It felt good to not have to jump out of bed and into the day, so I snuggled a little closer to my husband in hopes that sleep would find me again. I dozed in and out, but as the sun came up (I use that term loosely because it got lighter, but no sun), the black of our room became gray and our dog, Eli, decided he wanted in on the cuddle time. Needless to say, our bed got cozier and I remembered that Eli and I hadn’t been for a w-a-l-k. You have to be careful with that word, if you say it, you’ve committed to it, and I’m not convinced he can’t spell. About 30 minutes into our very cozy time together, I decided to say the word, and Eli was off of the bed ready to go.

Stepping out the front door the cool, but not tool cold, air was refreshing. With a yank of his leash, Eli reminded me that it had been too many days since our last adventure. The morning was still. Little traffic and while some squirrels seem to be busily foraging for food, others danced and chased each other up and down the trees. After the first few showed themselves Eli was over the non-successful attempt to pull me into the chase.

This #Thanksgiving is going to be quite different. Many in our country are just being still, cutting back and doing things a lot simpler. I love that we aren’t rushing about. About halfway through our walk some distant church bells sang a hymn. I love church bells, but this morning I wanted to say “sssshhh, please give me a few more minutes of stillness. Don’t wake everyone else just yet.”

We are 35 days from 2020 ending. Whether in our hearts, minds or lives, it has been chaotic to say the least. As much as folks want to hurry to the end, more than likely some of this experience will leak into 2021. That’s ok, we’re learning and adapting to things we have little or no control over. We are settling down.

Our family has seen some challenges this year, but we have so much more to be thankful for. We have each other and all of our needs met. And while today we won’t be all together, around my sisters beautifully laid out table, and there will be no turkey competition between my younger sister and our brother-in-law, oh and no orange dip (secret family recipe, you have those), we are all on this side of heaven, and a phone call away. For that I am grateful.

It’s about time for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade (#macysthanksgivingdayparade) – 2020 style. It may not be the parade we are used to, but it is the parade we need. So, I’ll grasp at the morsel of normal for my Thanksgiving morning and embrace the quiet difference this year is bringing.

God bless you and your family. For those who have too many empty seats, may you feel the peace, love, and hope of God, knowing that while this world will bring challenges, we have an Eternal Hope that takes all of them away.

Karen