Thanksgiving Weekend

This afternoon, with our pumpkin spice coffees in hand, we sat down to write this. Thanksgiving weekend always has a way of sneaking up and slowing us down all at once. The air feels different, the colors outside are unreal, and there is this quiet excitement that builds knowing what is ahead: a weekend full of food, family, laughter, and the kind of craziness that only a holiday can bring.

We always find ourselves reflecting a little deeper this time of year. Maybe it is the season, maybe it is the slower pace, or maybe it is just the reminder that no matter how unpredictable life gets, there is still so much to be thankful for.

Is life easy? Not a chance. Have we had our fair share of challenges? You bet. But here we are, sitting in our cozy homes, freshly decorated for Halloween, kids laughing in the next room as they play with the bunny they begged to bring inside (that is a whole other story), and we cannot help but think we have really hit the jackpot.

Tomorrow after church, we will all pile into our parents’ house, the same one we grew up in. The smell of turkey and mashed potatoes will hit before we even get through the door. Mom will be running between the oven and the kitchen table, insisting she does not need help while secretly loving that the house is full. The door will open and close about a hundred times, letting in half the farm flies. The temperature will rise fast, and before long, we will all start peeling off layers until it feels like mid-July inside their bungalow.

There will be laughter, teasing, kids running wild, and Isaiah singing at the top of his lungs. The food will be incredible, like it always is, and the dishes will pile high. Every year Mom says, “Just leave them, I will get to it later,” and every year we roll our eyes, roll up our sleeves, and get to work. We will all be patiently waiting for the baseball game to start, especially since our beloved Blue Jays made the playoffs.

Then comes the food coma. The moment everyone slowly disappears, some to the couch, some to the basement, and a few of us sneaking out for what we call a “Grampa Jack walk” around the farm to digest. He used to do that every single time, and as kids, we never understood why. Now we get it. He was not walking off the turkey; he was escaping the noise and the mountain of grandkids for five minutes of peace and quiet. Smart man.

But somewhere between the laughter and the chaos, our hearts always tug a little. For the ones who cannot be there this year. For those sitting at no table at all and for the people walking through hard seasons, the kind where you have to dig deep to find even one small thing to be thankful for.

If that is you this year, we are sending you so much love and strength. You are not alone.

This weekend, surrounded by family, laughter, and the beautiful craziness that comes with it, we cannot help but feel grateful. Not because everything is perfect, it never is, but because of the love that fills the cracks.

So wherever you are this Thanksgiving, we hope you find something small to hold onto. A bit of light in the middle of it all. Maybe it is the smell of turkey, a hug that lingers, a quiet moment on the couch, a Blue Jays win, or a walk under the fall sky.

Because that is what this weekend is really about. Remembering that gratitude does not erase the hard, it just reminds us that there is still good here, too.

Happy Thanksgiving from both of us, The Unedited Sisters 🍁