Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love it for its simplicity, for the absence of gifts and the family time. My siblings are in England and South Africa, my former in-laws are in the Boston area and so family to me this year means me, my daughter and my son. I do know people who are able to celebrate Thanksgiving with their ex but I’m not there and truthfully, I’m not sure I ever will be.
So what will Thanksgiving look like for us?
- I will probably be up well before my kids and will likely go for what is my usual weekend walk along the Niwot Loop. It usually takes me about an hour and fifteen minutes. It’s my mediation walk.
- By the time I get back from my walk, my kids are likely to be up and we’ll all be ready for breakfast. Our favorite breakfast right now is bacon, scrambled eggs, mushrooms, and home fries.
- Up next … getting the decorations up outside. The last few years, I’ve done this mostly by myself but I’m hoping to enlist my kids’ help this year. I have some fun new decorations to tempt them including some cool lighted willow balls that I’m working on this afternoon. Can’t wait to see what they look like hanging from the trees in the dark.
- Then …. drum roll please …. Harry Potter. The drum roll is not for the movie but more because my daughter suggested this and my son agreed and that is a rare occurrence and getting even rarer.
- And if you’re wondering how and when I’m going to fit in roasting a turkey, I’m not. This year we’re eating out. Since my 2009 tax refund magically appeared in my bank account a few weeks ago, I figured we could splurge and it would make my day that much more enjoyable.
I have much to be thankful for but there are two things that warrant special mention.
First, I am thankful for the civil relationship I have with my ex. It allows us to be flexible with our parenting time and that’s a win for him, a win for me and I truly believe a win for our kids. We’re switching our parenting weekends in a couple of weeks and that means I get to take the children to a Holiday concert and I also get to go away the following weekend with some girlfriends. Our formal agreement calls for the children to be with me this whole week but since we weren’t going away, when my ex asked if they could stay with him for some of the time, I was able to agree. He’s even suggested that we get together this week to talk about discipline – he said he’d like to know more about the rules I set to see if he can be consistent.
Second, I’m thankful to all the ladies who have shared their life after divorce story with me. I learn from each and every one of you. I know it’s taking time-it’s been three years since my divorce was final-but you’re helping me to grow and to heal and with your help I’m looking forward with anticipation and excitement.
Thank you all for reading my blog.
Happy Thanksgiving!