The food, the people, the memories.

I remember being a little girl wearing my favorite mauve velvet dress and black patent leather shoes. I ran frenetically around the house with excitement because of all the festivities. My step-grandmother, who always brought me something from some exotic part of the world, would visit and make me smile partially because she liked to watch To Tell the Truth and I thought that was sooooo decadent for a woman her age. My other grandmother, my sweet Baba Mommy, would stroke my cheek and say, “Don’t you look cunning all dressed up!”

I remember drawing holiday turkeys by outlining my hand with a brown crayon and then coloring it in and adding feet and a face. Did you ever do that? The thumb is the neck and the fingers are the feathers…I liked to adorn him with a Pilgrim’s hat, although I’m guessing the turkeys of the early Americans’ time weren’t too fond of this new tradition.

I remember the moment that it all changed when my mother suggested we celebrate the next year at my aunt and uncle’s house. My mother said this with joy because she was having fun with this reunion and wanted to plant the seeds for another one. My aunt, on the other hand, didn’t take kindly to that remark. I guess she took it as a personal affront for some reason. We haven’t seen her since I was about 5.

I remember stuffing the turkey with our own children running around like wild beasts laughing and singing as we celebrated family-we-don’t-often-see coming to our house. There was that time we had a table set for so many people we had to extend it into the front hall. Paper crowns on our heads toasting the good times and cherishing the connections. Having lost both parents and a brother, Peter’s family knows all too well how important it is to savor each gathering. I am blessed with living parents and siblings, two of which I will see tomorrow and all of whom I intend to speak with.

I also remember taking our daughter to the doctor for an emergency appointment Thanksgiving evening because she had a fever of 104. The doctor on call was a tad creepy, although we were deeply grateful that he was able to help her.

The intention of Thanksgiving in its purest form is to celebrate together with gratitude for all that we have. To share. To laugh. To love.

It is a holiday that is independent of religious orientation. It’s just about joining as one to give thanks.

For 24 hours, everything stops and we pause for this moment. Stores and the stock market are closed and there is a sacred sense that something special is transpiring.

It’s a day to forget what we don’t have and to focus on what we do have. For just 1440 minutes. That’s it.

I was in Washington DC last week with our son visiting George Washington University. When we were finished, we ambled over to Georgetown, had lunch and bopped around some stores.

We were in the Gap buying jeans and as I was paying for them, I noticed a sign next to the cash register.

“Gap Georgetown – Open Thanksgiving Day”

My jaw dropped and a little piece of my spirit temporarily burst. Speechless, I tapped Theron’s arm and pointed. Being a 17 year old boy, he really didn’t care about the store being open on Thanksgiving, but he did care that it upset me. He gave me a hug.

While I have reluctantly accepted the madness of Black Friday with stores opening at 12:01am, I’ve held fast to the notion that at least for 24 hours we can let go of the perpetual need to shop.

I get that some grocery stores, gas stations, movie theaters and restaurants are open. It feels okay because it’s all in support of our gathering together.

It’s all about intention. Are we celebrating True Thanksgiving or are stuffing ourselves with a need to “get things done” or “fill a void”?

As we gather together here in the United States tomorrow, allow yourself to pause for the full day and celebrate the fullness and expansion of true gratitude in whatever way your angels guide you.

If you are not able to be with family or friends, spend the day nurturing your soul and celebrating the divine being that you are!

If you live outside the US, savor the energy of gratitude that is surely affecting our global community.