Yassoo Sweet Friends!

It’s the day after Thanksgiving  otherwise known as “Black Friday.” It’s the day thousands of shoppers hit the stores at 5 AM to scoop up the best bargains on their Christmas list. It’s the day people wait in long lines only to be disappointed that the most sought after toy this Christmas is already sold out. It’s the day I avoid going out, so I’m happy to be in Greece where Black Friday does not exist, well except online. I’ve been getting tons of Black Friday sale emails. Delete. I just don’t need anything, and I refuse to buy something for someone that collects dust. I just can’t do it anymore. I’ve sold everything I own twice now and it’s perfectly painless, quite liberating actually; and I just don’t want any more stuff. Furthermore, I’m not buying YOU anymore stuff either! 🙂

Yesterday was Thanksgiving and the day before that was my Mother’s birthday, a very sad day for me. I’ve been kinda depressed all week, dreading these two upcoming days. The glass has been not only half empty all week, it was drained! When I told my Aussie friends and fellow house sitters Nat and Jodie that I was feeling down because of the holiday, they were like, “what holiday?”.  Uh, oh yeah, I forgot, you gals down under don’t do Thanksgiving; but they thought it was a grand idea, so we decided to have our own little Thanksgiving dinner yesterday!

We drove into town on Wednesday (a BIG day!) and bought some groceries for our feast – sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, bread and a chicken! I cut some beautiful burgundy bougainvillea vines and a bunch of fresh rosemary. I found some blue twine and dug a dog food bag out of the trash. I cut the brown paper lining from inside of the bag into small rectangles and wrote messages of thanks on four pieces. I punched a small hole in each one and tied each to a small bundle of rosemary using the blue twine. I think they turned out sweet and looked festive on the table with the bougainvillea. My friends loved their little happies, and the food was amazing! We roasted all the veggies and I made a pot of red beans and rice. We also had potato and leek soup, hummus, babaganoush and pita bread. YUM!!! It was a very nice Thanksgiving.

Last night, as I walked to my room it began to rain. It was cold and rainy but I felt grateful to be in this place, grateful for the meal we enjoyed together, grateful to be on this journey. As I got under the covers in my cold room, I was warmed by the memories of many Thanksgivings with friends and family from both Hawaii and Memphis. I’ve enjoyed so many beautiful Thanksgivings over the years, and this one, while completely different, was no exception.

I am truly thankful to be where I am today. Even though my journey is lonely sometimes, I remain grateful to be here. I am blessed beyond measure. I have an amazing son, a loving brother, a beautiful niece, a talented nephew (hey Joel!), an adoring ex-husband (how many people can say that??), and the most wonderful, supportive friends who are also my family. With all that, who needs STUFF!!??!!

I hope your Thanksgiving was memorable and the only stuff you get today is stuffing from the fridge!