Thank you for the Pie

If gratitude for all we have brings us peace, then peace rules our house right now.

Last night we hosted Thanksgiving Dinner for the first time, inspired by our truly amazing au pair. She baked for two WHOLE days in preparation, whilst also single-handedly managing the rest of the week’s menu planning and shopping, entertaining Miss 4, doing school and gym runs and keeping on top of the house and washing. And dealing with me, who came back from 9 days away a little mind-blown (in a good way) and overwhelmed (in a way fairly common to people who have recently been mind-blown). I haven’t been totally here this week, lost in the mind-blown space of possibility, and tired and grumpy and all those things you do you wish you didn’t (like being overwhelmed). But on Thanksgiving I woke up refreshed and back in my body and KNEW FOR SURE that bringing everyone together was the best idea.

So all I had to do was swan around a bit the afternoon before the dinner, and sweep up and move some tables and do a few things while she, in her calm and no-fuss way, calmly and fuss-lessly made it all happen.

And just so you know Ms McKee, none of that (the 9 days away, the massive dinner, the new ritual that so has to happen in our world again next year, me swanning) would have been possible if you didn’t come into our world. And you wouldn’t have come into our world if everything that happened before hadn’t happened. So, I can honestly say I am so grateful that my world imploded because now we are crafting something that is so much more amazing. All of us.

There were like THOUSANDS of people there. OK, that might be an exaggeration, but there were HEAPS. Our own funny, mixed up menagerie of people who go together. Just because they do.

So this Thanksgiving I am so grateful for my life, my health, my healthy, beautiful daughters, our home and the beautiful people who love us and keep showing up. I’m grateful for the beautiful, still summery evening and the FOOD, OMG the food that blessed our table, and that there were almost as many kids as adults – and the kids swam, and jumped and played and ate and skated and dressed up and laughed and yelled. Our house was abuzz last night with the energy of a something that you can’t make up. It just happens. I think it’s ALIVENESS. I think our home was ALIVE. And for me, you can’t beat that.

This morning, there’s been a bit of cleaning up to do.

The dogs are having a stand off over the turkey carcass. The old dog won’t eat it, but won’t let the young dog near it. So they’re both lying beside it (the old dog is closer) and the world’s biggest young dog is staring mournfully at it. I suspect this stand off could go on for days. I had to wash my thongs because on my way to deliver the turkey carcass to the dogs I spilt all the fat down my leg and dress and shoes and all over the floor. There is a mini pavlova shell under the table. There are two prawns in a bowl in the fridge and a few odd left-overs, but not so much. There is definitely no pumpkin pie, apple pie or chocolate cream pie left. And it’s only FRIDAY. I think that’s the bit I liked the best. We did all that on a THURSDAY. And it’s not even Christmas.

Happy Thanksgiving. Australia style.