If you haven’t already check out the Mandarin Orange Giveaway!. And no, we aren’t having Pennywise Platter Thursday tomorrow. It will resume again next week. Enjoy the Holiday!
Today I share a little more personally. I hope you don’t mind. I have pumpkin pie to make, a turkey to brine, cranberry sauce to cook, and green beans to snap. But I wanted to reflect a little on thankfulness for a moment. With all the bustle of food preparation, decorating and family time, it is easy to lose sight of all that I have to be thankful of. But before we get into that, here’s a quick short list of Thanksgiving recipes for reference.
Quick List of Thanksgiving Recipes
- Grandpa’s Green Beans and Dairy Free Mashed Potatoes
Creamy Cranberry Salad (with a Dairy Free Version)
Pumpkin Pie
How to Roast a Pumpkin for Pie
Garlicky Green Beans
Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
Pumpkin Latte
Maple Sugared Nuts
The booth next to ours at the Wise Traditions conference was an essential oil booth. I got to chatting with the two ladies there and had a great time with them. They had an test that you could pay five dollars to use that was supposed to tell what was out of balance in your system. It had to do with electric pulses I believe. I decided that even though I had no idea how accurate it was, it would be interesting to try. When they pulled up my results, I noticed that one of the essential oil blends they recommended for me was “Gratitude”. I think I blushed! This machine was accusing me of not being thankful enough!
While I doubted the ability of this machine to know whether or not I was grateful, it did make me examine myself. Was it true? Did I need a little more gratitude in my life? That question nagged me for a few days before I decided that yes, I should concentrate on being more thankful for what I have. It’s not that I am completely devoid of it, but I realized that I had allowed myself to concentrate too much on things I am not grateful for.
This last year hasn’t been one of the easiest ones for my little family. We’ve gone through worse (what can compare to the pain of losing a child?), but this year has not been easy in many respects. Drama and trauma are two words that comes to mind. I won’t bore you with the details, but suffice to say we feel like this last year has been a bit of a storm, full of emotions and many, many changes for us personally. It can be easy to concentrate on other’s actions, on the “what if’s” and the loss we feel.
And yet, we have so much to be thankful for.
We know the pain of losing a child, but we also know the joy of having a child. Elena Belle has been a huge gift in our lives. Joel and I have a wonderful, though imperfect, relationship that has brought so much stability and peace in a very unstable world. We have sweet relationships with many of our extended family and friends. We have a place to live and food to eat. And best of all, we have personal peace with our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ.
Those are the big things.
But there are so many small things that I am thankful for too. Like books to read (I have a hard time breathing without books to read), beautiful scenery in our area, a nice cat to cuddle with, new online friends, mandarins oranges to eat, and the list goes on.
Perhaps this is a silly example, but it means a lot to me. Recently I was feeling gloomy about my fading and holey wardrobe. I knew we didn’t have much money to spend on new clothes and that I was still very blessed compared to many, but I felt quite faded and messy with my old clothes. Through a series of wonderful events, I, the thrift shop flunk, was able to find like new GAP and Limited jeans for a very cheap price (between 3-5 dollars a pair), a pair of jeans for my husband, an outfit for my daughter, some blocks for a Christmas gift for Elena, and a cute dress and shirt. I now own more new to me jeans than I’ve had since I was 12!
Because we spent so little on the above, I was able to buy a shirt on sale that my husband really liked on me and a dress for an upcoming wedding (which we also got 40 percent off on!) at the mall. After a long time of not spending very much on clothes, I feel swamped with new clothes. I am so grateful.
I guess what I am trying to say is this. There are always things that annoy, depress, or worry us and if we concentrate on those things, we will be annoyed, depressed and worried people. But there are also things to be thankful for, things to be happy about. If we concentrate more on those things we will all the more happier for it.
So tomorrow while we feast on good food, I am glad to have so many things to be thankful for. Life certainly isn’t always easy, but there is still so much joy to find in it.
What about you? How is your thankfulness meter reading? What do you have to be thankful for?
Latest posts by KimiHarris (see all)
- 2 Ingredient Peppermint Bark - December 21, 2022
- Herbal Hibiscus Lemonade (Keto, THM) - March 16, 2022
- Creamy Curry Red Lentil Soup - December 8, 2021
Dear Kimi,
What a wonderful heartwarming post! Yes, we all have so much to be thankful for as you said & I too have to remind myself of that from time to time. The Lord provides for our needs.
Children are such a rich blessing from the Lord. We should spend our days enjoying them. Life is so precious! So often you see moms getting busy w other things that they loose the focus of their little blessings & time passes so fast.
I am so sorry for your loss w your other little girl.
May the Lord bless you & be w you & your sweet family.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Jessica O.
Life is precious, there is no doubt about that!
Thank you for being so open and honest. I have a whole new level of appreciation and connecting with you through this lovely blog. In His name.
Kimberle
Beautiful reminder. Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
Oh, I got so excited for you when I read your amazing purchases. I love to thrift and finding the perfect thing at the perfect price is such a blessing! God is so good.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Very timely for me to read today! Thank you for posting it. I definitely know what you are saying about a tired wardrobe. I am glad you were able to find such wonderful treasures at the thrift store!
Thank you for the reminder that attitude is such a huge part of our daily contentment. I struggle to remember this ALL.THE.TIME! Sorry to hear about the loss of your child. I can’t even imagine!
Happy Thanksgiving.
Kelly
Thank you so very much for your heartwarming post! You see I’ve been struggling also. On one hand I am thankful but on the other hand I’m being a worry wart and frustrated. You see we will be moving. Travelling over 3600 miles, pulling a small enclosed trailer over the Al-Can Hwy (Alaska Canada Hwy) in January when it is not uncommon for temperatures to -50… Yes you read that correctly! I am so thankful for the move as my husband is so tickled about the new job but allowed myself to become focused on the “details” of the trip!! God has truly blessed us in a time when many don’t have work! So far everything is going smoothly but I know my husband is concerned about our house in Alaska selling! We both really needed this! I love how God gives us little words of encouragement from the most unexpected places!!!
Once again thank you!!
Moves can be so unsettling. I hope that it goes smoothly for you!
Kimi, what a lovely post. It warmed my heart. The Lord is good. In Him is no lack. We have much to be thankful for. Have a good thanksgiving .
Thanks. I’m grateful you were able to write this. Thanksgiving is not my preferred holiday…I think too many people focus on food and football and not on being grateful. Plus, do we really want to just be grateful for only one day. I am grateful for my family, friends, the roof over my head and my job. Our year too has not been a great year but in so many ways, it has been a year of joy amid the pain and frustration. Have a wonderful day tomorrow!
I think Thanksgiving should be a day set aside to reflect on what we have an enjoy family and good food together, but without the thankfulness part it can be a little boring. 😉
Thank you, Kimi, for this post. We all do have alot to be thankful for. I, too, am thankful for Jesus Christ and what He did in my place. I’m thankful for my husband and three children, who are-like yours-not perfect, but bring so many daily blessings to me.
I am a photographer with http://www.nilmdts.org (Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep) and I spent last night at the hospital with a young couple who lost their child full-term. She was over 9 lbs. and it was unexpected that they would lose her. She was moving on Saturday. Every time I leave the hospital for one of these calls, I am reminded how blessed I am to have my children. (sounds like you are aware of this all too personally, too) I homeschool my children, and let’s face it…it can be hard to be around ANYONE every day. 🙂 I find myself being overwhelmed and fussing, and it’s easy to complain, but God is so good to gently remind me what gifts I have. So, this Thanksgiving, I am so thankful for my 3 healthy beautiful children, who though I am with them 24/7, never cease to remind me how much they miss me when I even just come home from the grocery store or hair salon! 🙂
What a beautiful way to spend your time. I am familiar with what you do as two friends have unfortunately had the opportunity to need the services that you supply. As unhappy as a day it was for them, the pictures were very meaningful and special to them. Thank you for what you do. 🙂
After reading through my post, I realized I wasn’t clear of when our daughter, Faith Felicity passed away. She passed away four years ago at the age of two months (which is why I was saying that there have been harder years). She passed away while waiting for a heart transplant.
We love and miss her a lot.
Thanks for sharing your personal story of thankfulness with us. I am struck by how much more thankful I should be and this is a good season to get back in the habit. I kept a journal before going to bed specifically to write down things I was thankful for. My personal schedule has changed since getting married and I haven’t kept it up. But I’d like to start doing this again – possibly on the train on the way to work when I have alone time.
May God’s richest blessings be on you and your family.
Dear Kimi –
Thank you so much for being so open and sharing. I feel so blessed to have finally met you in person at the WAPF Conference last week. You are a shining light.
As we were lying in our hotel beds, and you shared with Jenny (Nourished Kitchen) and me (I think Kelly the Kitchen Kop was asleep) what you went through these past few years, my heart broke for you. I remember looking over at Jenny’s face which was stricken with sadness and pain and compassion for you. I felt the same.
I think sometimes by really facing our losses and acknowledging them, that is what helps us the most to realize what we have to be grateful for. We can’t truly appreciate what we have if we never experience any darkness or hard times. My family has gone through many tragedies. Knowing we are in it together makes us feel that much closer and more connected. And I think we appreciate the good times that much more.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your sweet family.
I feel honored and blessed that you chose to share personally and deeply here on your blog. I feel my heart breaking for your losses. I am very sorry for your struggles the past years. But when you reveal your thankfulness and your peace through Jesus Christ, I rejoice with you! Thank you for this reminder that though we are weak, He is strong. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family, Kimi.
Kimi,
I am so sorry for the loss of your precious little Faith. Thank you for sharing with us. You have brought my family such wonderful inspiration for eating well and exploring new foods and preparation. I am thankful for you and the healthy, tasty and frugal options you share that help keep me confident in knowing that I am doing what is best for my family. Thank you.
You are so right, nothing compares to losing a child – my baby lived 4 months and we love and miss him every day and it has been 6.5 years. But even so I am grateful for the time we had with him for many many reasons but one that I am thankful today for is that I realize the preciousness of my time with my other children and this colors all I say and do. {{{hugs}}} from one mommy to another!
Hi Kimi,
I’m so sorry for your loss, I can’t even imagine how difficult that was. Thank you for sharing your story. I think sometimes when I get so wrapped up in kids, job, life I forget to be thankful. The reminder is so appreciated.
Happy Thanksgiving to you.
Sheri
Kimi,
I forgot to say in my above post..Thank you so much for your wonderful blog & healthy recipes! They bless are family often! We are having your pumpkin pie for the 2nd year today! It is so yummy!
Again sorry for the loss of your little girl. My heart goes out to you. I have had two miscarriages & that was so very hard. I can’t imagine the pain you have gone through as it must be all the harder. We too have hard years & as another person commented it makes the good times all the better & pulls you together as a family all the more & I personally think draws us even more close to the Lord as we realize all the more we need His strength.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Jessica O.
Kimi,
I am very sorry for your loss. I just wanted to reach out and say ‘Thank you for sharing’ – your personal story as well as your blog. The Lord is so loving and true, I just want to praise His name. Thanks be to God.
Michelle
Thank you so much for sharing such a heartfelt post with us, Kimi. Striving to live in thankfulness is something I believe we can all benefit from. Our society as a whole is not a very thankful one, so it seems we must fight against the general way of things, reaching into our hearts to find all of the many things we can give thanks for.
I know so many people who have had a difficult year this year – including myself. One thing I am deeply thankful for is that I learned so much about nourishing foods earlier this year. I truly believe that without them my year would have been a hundred times more difficult – and I mean that. A nourished body is far more equipped to deal with life’s hurdles, and I know this firsthand.
Another thing I am thankful for is through all of these hard times, my family has been able to rekindle friendships that we thought were lost. What a blessing it has been to have such wonderful people in our lives again, to have friends to help us overcome life’s difficulties with joy and hope.
So, Kimi, thanks again for your post, and for helping me remember how much there really is to be thankful for!
Thank you Kimi for this wonderful outreach. You are an encouragement to walk in faith and trust Jesus through all situtations. May the Lord bless you and your family even as you have blessed others.
Happy Thanksgiving
I didn’t say in my above post – but do really want to express my sympathy to you & your family for your loss. I praise God that you are walking with and trusting him, by his grace. It is a great testimony.
Kimi–God bless you for your wonderful, balance perspective. I, too, am sorry for your loss. Yet, you are choosing to focus now on what is good, and your wonderful family that you do have. This will be an example to many men and women, who are dealing with similar losses.
I am thankful for your beautiful blog, and that I got to meet you in person in Chicago. Carry on, with grace, and gusto!
Elena,
This could be my story. I relate with everything you wrote – from the difficult year (that was nonetheless full of many blessings) to your clothess story! Thank you for your openness and honesty. You are a great encouragement!
Kael