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Saturday, November 24, 2007

yes, it was a happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving morning we woke up to snow.



Our dear little Phoebe bravely faces another Michigan winter. But this time she has a new birdbath at her back.

Bishop acted like she didn't remember what snow was. You can see Don, Mike and little Kaeley going for a walk, getting needed fresh air after being cooped up in the house.
I wish I could bring the hydrangea inside for chandeliers above the big table. I think the candles would make them sparkle.
It felt good to get outside into the air that smells like sunlight refrigerated in earth.
To see our kids at home together for a few days warmed my heart.
Indoors, Grandma is the cuddler of choice for little Kaeley.
Games, games and more games are what my husband's family loves at holidays. Peter brought "Guitar Hero" which was a challenge and a hit. You thought playing a real guitar was hard? Try playing this video game. The expert gives tips to his dad and sister.



"Cranium" is more my speed, with word and picture challenges.



I had to draw something to make my all women team guess more quickly than the men's team. This drawing is a "place." Can you guess what/where? We won this round. Wish I'd taken a pic of the men's drawing so you could see why.


Of course Thanksgiving is not all fun and games for the people doing the preparations. For all that good food, there is work, work, work. But when we do it together, it is fun.

Lesley cleaned and polished all the silver, bless her. We have a collection passed down from my mom's and my dad's families. I love using old things that my grandparents and aunt used. Imagine, those big serving spoons in my Grandma Olive's hands! Oh I love thinking about that.

I made pies, apple and pumpkin (remember, with Don's home grown organic pumpkins).

And I arranged flowers.


Don and I did the turkey, stuffing, potatoes, gravy and I don't know what else. And the dozen other people in our home contributed to the meal in their own ways, and they cleaned up with energy and joy.

It's all about the meal, you might think. All the days of preparation, the hours of cleaning up.

But the meal is only a symbol. Our fingers mixing the ingredients. Our hands moving the furniture around to make room for the big table. Our hands laying the white tablecloth as clean and fresh as the snow outside. The perfect tiny flowers bordering the table on the good china. The polished silver, the flowers like jewels, the white candles lighting our familiar faces more softly than usual. Why do we do this?

We do it because we love each other, because we're thankful for each other, and we don't want to forget that our closest family and friends deserve special attention and the best we can offer.

32 comments:

Loring Wirbel said...

The Guitar Hero photo was fabulous - Abby is a big DDR and Guitar Hero player. (We were in NYC for Thanksgiving and she blew them away at the MTV store.) Who ended up champion?

Ruth said...

Loring, well, Peter was the god, partly because he is a real guitar god, and partly because he's been practicing Guitar Hero. Next was their cousin Kirsten, who has also been practicing.

Maybe we'll have to try Dance Dance Revolution next Thanksgiving.

Ginnie Hart said...

Oh Ruth. I'm so glad you posted this because I had thought of you often throughout the day...and weekend. Thank you. It has been written and shown with such tender, loving care! I love and miss you all.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful silver :-)

Looks like you had a perfect Thanksgiving.

Mrs. M. said...

The last picture is my favorite--how warm and inviting!! What a gift to have all your children home--

Visit me for a taste of our weekend when you have time

freefalling said...

Just the most beautiful post.

Those of us who have family to love, a safe country to live in and food on the table, are truly lucky, aren't we?

Is the drawing the grand canyon?

Anonymous said...

awesome, it looks like you had a great holidays

Anonymous said...

Wonderful post, Ruth, and thank you for sharing. The photos made me feel as though I was right there with you all -- so inviting. And what a beautiful table you set! So glad the family was together. Much love to you all!

Ruth said...

I miss you too, Boots. Family gatherings make me think about all family and friends. I hope you had a good celebration.

Ruth said...

Britt-Arnhild, thanks. :) It was busy, crowded and a lot of fun.

Ruth said...

Mrs. M, thank you. It must have been hard to be without Katy this year. But she'll be home soon for the Renaissance!

Ruth said...

Letitia, yes, you're right, I have so much fulness in my life, I can't even contain it, I'm very fortunate.

And congratulations, you smart woman you!!! I love you! Yes, yes, yes, it's the Grand Canyon. (bells ringing) I'm impressed, either with your intuition or with my drawing. :)

Ruth said...

theysaywordscanbleed (wow, that's a cool name), thanks for your visit!

Ruth said...

A lot of love to you, too, Amy. I need to hear about LA!!

Thank you.

Inge said...

Ruth--

I love the pictures of Peter and Lesley, especially the close-up of Lesley! Also the ones of your hands doing the work of Thanksgiving! I'm so grateful to have you in my life, to have you and your family in our lives!

Mrs. SwedeHart said...

I'm speechless:D

Jo's-D-Eyes said...

Thanks RUTH,
For sharing your view of your thanksgiving overthere, we do not celebrate it here in Holland (I don't know why) So Your sis G. could better e there with her family right?

Please come and see my Paris impressions... when we were there at my birthday, I made a lot of shots and I show them in Hugh collages, Now I posted about ORSAY museum, also art and a great building:)You might like to visit my blog:) I knwe you did already but not this one...

Greetings JoAnn

mystic rose said...

Ruth,
I left a long comment here on Monday and find it has vanished.. this has been a happening a lot to me lately on blogger.. :)

I loved all the photos and the stories they all tell. Its lovely you got snow on thanksgiving.. it is just so magical, the smell, the feel. that phrase 'refrigerated sunlight' ..describes it so perfectly, my mind can grasp it sensually.

The hydrangea is indeed delicately beautiful, I can imagine a chandelier like that, cream and white, ..:), I love the picture of you making the pies, and it looks delicious. and lastly your table! It is so inviting. What a wonderful woman you must be, Ruth.

I like Cranium too. Is that a fort or grand canyon? that you drew for pictionary. Pictionary and charades are some of our favorite games as well.

I love thanksgiving too, Ruth. When I first heard about it here, I thought what a wonderful holiday that celebrates life, goodness, friendship. It has nothing to do with any religion or philosophy, just simply the goodness of living. And this is one holiday that needs to be celebrated all over the world.
When my son's teacher asked his class what they were thankful for, he said, 'I am thankful for living'., I dont know if he realised what he was saying(the teacher thought it was very odd, I could tell, she went, ooookkaaayyy and moved on to someone else). but in that instance I felt how full life is! Even when it is sad, or full of problems, still how would one feel love and joy and beauty if it werent for life? This is just an expression, such an outpouring of divine energy, creativity..

Anonymous said...

WoW...some beautifully captured & composed shots with lovely lighting & the colours...Excellent!

alice said...

To watch your photos and to read your words warm up the heart, Ruth. Family is a treasure when everyone has regard for the others. Unfortunately, my "family" has melted like snow under sun and now, my husband, our two children and me are alone. They are my little wonder :-)

Mrs. SwedeHart said...

Mystic Rose, your comment reminds me of an ever pressing question we like to entertain in our house: What is life?

Ruth said...

Sweet Ink, we get to have lunch today!! :D

Ruth said...

Swedehart, :D

Ruth said...

JoAnn, yes, Ginnie celebrated with her family. I left a comment about the Orsay at your blog, it's one of my favorite museums, the light!

I discovered blue in the Van gogh gallery. I had never seen blue before then. That's how it felt. And I wept.

Ruth said...

Mystic Rose, I don't know what's going on with Blogger either. And I don't like how we can't leave comments as "other" now. They're forcing everyone to have a google account. But sometimes I log in as Flying - not a blogger account. :|

Yes, Grand Canyon, ding ding ding!! Good job. :) I'm glad you recognized it from the line drawing, as did my wonderful team.

Thankful for living. Aaaaah, what a sweet boy you have. Can you imagine any better sentiment coming from your child? I'm realizing with every new day that Life keeps being created. It's that newness that keeps life wonderful.

Ruth said...

Kalyan, I thank you! :)

Ruth said...

Ah, dear Alice, thank you.

Your comment is sweet and so sad. But I'm glad you have your husband and children, such treasures.

Ruth said...

Swedehart, how amazing is it that we sit here and our hearts keep pumping our blood, our kidneys and intestines keep filtering, our minds function, our nerves and senses feel. We don't make any of it happen, they just live on. What is it??

T said...

What a beautiful comment at the end. Relationships are the only lasting thing we have on this earth. It would do many people good to treasure them the way you do.

Ruth said...

Thank you for that, Tori. Yes, it should drive everything we do, this love.

MYM said...

Fantastic post! I love your family :)

Ruth said...

THank you, Drowsey! Wish you'd joined your adopted family. :)