Thankful. Simply Thankful. Chitunga is Running a 5K, the Turkey is Brined, and the Tables are Set. Dinner at Two. We Gonna Eat.

I love that the Thanksgiving tradition has fallen onto Mount Pleasant, and I'm more happy that Chitunga returned home for it. Lys will arrive on Friday, but it's all good. We have additional plans for Friday night with Kris, Dave, Isaiah, Ish, and Val. Bring on the games. But for today, I'm simply calmed by knowing that I, once again, can feed family and friends. The turkey has been brined by urban accents once again, and now it's time for pealing the carrots and potatoes. We have our blueberry and apple pies, enough booze to throw a weeklong party, and many more dishes still to arrive. 

I enjoy this ritual. I have it quiet in the morning to prep the turkey, scent the house with its brilliance, turn on the Macy's Day Parade, and simply roll into the arrivals. 

I am thankful, I am thankful, I am thankful.

Yesterday, the 10th edition of POW! The Power of Words arrived, the proof that is, and I did my last read through to be it's all set to deliver to homes this Holiday seasons. The kids and teachers were as brilliant as always this summer.

I'm thankful that I've made it to this point still able to tap passion and find direction without giving up, despite the tremendous obstacles I face with an institution of higher education and the road blocks they put in front of us all (it's about the youth...about the educators...about communities beyond the privileged spaces of campuses and college. 

I love my daily walks, and still dream they will be runs again, but for now, I will walk and enjoy the outdoors as much as I can. 

I appreciate my niece, Nikki, who is hosting the Barnwell, Isgar, Crandall crew while I do the same in Connecticut, unable to get up north until the holidays.

And I'm thankful that yesterday, while putting the final touches in preparation for today, I looked up and saw the last letter that Maureen Polacci wrote me, thanking me for years of support, love, and always being there to make her laugh and smile. It was a letter asking me to look over Laura if she should pass before me....a note I sent to Laura with words, "Every time that cardinal flies by, or the butterfly flutters, or the leaves swing with summer light warming their hope, or the waves lap, or the moon shines, it's simply a reminder of your mother's smile. All the beautiful is a kiss from her."

Happy Thanks and Giving day. I'm not sure I celebrate it within the traditions of the narratives we're told as children, but I do love the time to reflect on what matters most and what love truly is.

It's family. It's friends. It's human together. 

Ubuntu.