Thanksgiving

A time of remembrance and gratitude, Thanksgiving holds a wealth of traditions, prominent among them gathering with family and friends, feasting, and giving thanks for all that we have.

This Thanksgiving weekend has me again reflecting upon my dear mother with so much gratitude for her and all that she  did for me. My mom divorced while I was very young, at at time when it was soundly frowned upon to be a divorcee and a time when women were all expected to work at homemaking and raising children rather than working outside the home to merely support her and her daughter.

My mom faced numerous adversities and roadblocks, primarily because of the times but also because she was too proud to expect someone else (or government) to support her and her young daughter. She worked incredibly hard, also going to night school to build a career, yet still was a loving and attentive mother despite how tired and frustrated she may have been. She sacrificed a great deal all her life.

She always taught me well and through her own examples. Though money was always paper thin, she built traditions and made sure we had special meals at all the holidays. She went without a lot herself and I cannot remember a time through her entire life when she complained — about anything.

She was the embodiment of what it was to be giving. Although it wasn’t until I was an older teenager and then later as an adult that I came to realize just how much she sacrificed, how much she did for me and for others, how she did everything out of kindness, that I began to appreciate the depth of her character. She was a blessing. And on this and every Thanksgiving, I am so grateful to have had such a warm and giving parent.

I miss you mom.

Wishing all my Canadian friends and family a bountiful and joy-filled Thanksgiving filled with gratitude for all that we have.

Wikipedia states, “Thanksgiving (French: Action de grâce), or Thanksgiving Day (Jour de l’action de grâce) is an annual Canadian holiday, occurring on the second Monday in October, which celebrates the harvest and other blessings of the past year.”

For my American friends who celebrate their Thanksgiving in November, here is a in-depth article about Canadian Thanksgiving. “The odd, complicated history of Canadian Thanksgiving.”