Each day offers us the gift of being a special occasion if we can simply learn that as well as giving, it is blessed to receive with grace and a grateful heart. –Sarah Ban Breathnach
Thanksgiving 2017 – Dinner for Two
This wasn’t intended to be my original post. In fact, I started drafting today’s post last week but I continued to make revision after revision. For some reason, I had a hard time finalizing my message; it never felt quite right. Now I know why. Keep reading…
Mr. B and I made plans to be in San Francisco to celebrate Thanksgiving and enjoy the long holiday weekend. It’s one of our favorite cities and it feels like a home away from home, of sorts. I even mentioned the trip in my last post. But life has a way of throwing curve balls and last night I canceled our flight, hotel, and all dinner reservations due to a family emergency involving Mr. B. He is still recuperating and, thankfully, he will be fine. But naturally, after a trip to the ER and an overnight stay in the hospital, we decided that it was best to stay put, stay home, and have a quiet evening for two. This can pose a challenge for someone like me who doesn’t cook. Given absolutely no notice, I had to become resourceful and quickly scrambled to order up dinner. I even purchased a floral cornucopia centerpiece from our local gourmet market. I reaped the benefits of a last minute purchase because I scored the flowers on sale for 20 bucks. Well, $19.99 to be exact. Once the meal was taken care of I quickly turned to the linen closet and decided to keep it simple by pulling out a fresh white tablecloth, napkins, and straw placements. In just a few short minutes I notice that the makings of a casual tablescape were falling into place nicely.
I was saddened at the fact that my husband became ill but I am very grateful that matters weren’t worse. I am thankful that he was home relatively quickly, although not quick enough if you ask him, I’m sure. I am also very fortunate to have good medical insurance and have some of the very best specialists available to Mr. B. One doctor in particular is someone that people travel the world to come see. We are fortunate in that we are just a few zip codes and short car ride away from him. Although it’s not without its issues, access to good healthcare is something I never take for granted and I was quickly reminded of that yesterday after overhearing a conversation between an older woman and hospital staff discussing arrangements on how she would pay for her hospital visit, which turned out to be her second visit in just a few short months. The women had no real source of income, no job, and was having to apply for government assistance.
If I have to leave you with anything today let it be a lesson in gratitude. Life has a tendency of shaking things up every now and then. As difficult as it may be, you just have to accept it, embrace it, and make the very best of what it has to offer. Trust me, I know first hand that it’s something easier said than done but do take time to appreciate the moments in life and all the moments within the moments. After all, each day does really offer us the gift of being a special occasion.
A special note was tucked into a small envelope waiting to be read by Mr. B.
I am happy to be surrounded by wonderful people who love and support me dearly (YT and MJ…you both mean the world to me). I am also thankful for my readers because I know you have lots of options for reading material but you manage to routinely visit Reviving Charm. Thank you for your readership and continued support of this site. It’s very much appreciated. Just don’t forget to tell your friends about me. I always love new readers!
All the best to you and yours now and always…Vanessa.
P.S. Thanks for letting me get a little personal with you today.
