Thanksgiving Treasures
- 11
- 26
- 09
Apologies in advance for this post. I am not sure it will make perfect sense. Or any sense at all. You see, Baby, our champion sleeper, decided to rise at 4:45am. And since we are all sharing a bedroom, her decision affected us all. So, our Thanksgiving got off to an early start. And coffee can only do so much. My mind is a mess. Mangled from sleeplessness. Tangled from thankfulness.
Thornton Wilder said, “We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” And I like these words. In fact, I love them. Because I’ve never thought of the heart in this way. I’ve never imagined it having a consciousness. But maybe it does. Maybe the heart, like the mind, can be aware of things. But I think this awareness would be a bit different, a bit less contrived, a bit less busy. A bit more fluid. A bit more forgiving.
The morning hours were long and meandering. The four of us snuggled and wrestled in bed. We danced around the kitchen. We chased running girls and wiped runny noses. We drank lots and lots of coffee. And then. Husband grabbed his camera and ran outside. To catch the sun as it climbed to its spot. And then he came back. And then we sat in the kitchen. Husband and the girls watched squirrels through the sliding doors. I watched them watch squirrels. And then I took out my camera and snapped away. To capture that moment. That quiet moment when we should have been sleeping. That priceless moment that was so simple and so full.
We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.
Yes, I am tired. Impossibly tired. Oddly though, I am thankful for my fatigue. Because under its spell, my mind isn’t operating very well. But my heart is picking up its slack. On this morning, this holiday morning, my heart is doing the work, acutely aware of so many treasures, tiny and titanic.
On this morning, this holiday morning, I feel very alive.
Everyone struggles and...
Beautifully stated. Reminds me that I need to let my heart do more and my mind do less.
Wilder said it well and you’ve made it relevant.
Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful for your words each and every day via this blog. Hope you all enjoy a snuggly family nap later today:)
Maybe, for people like us (may I dare to presume to know?) it is a gift of sorts for the mind to be turned off, or slowed down … in those moments maybe the heart can really feel it all without the interruption of the thoughts.
Beautiful picture and beautiful thoughts.
Happy thanksgiving, my friend.
I love the idea that when your brain is tired, your heart can pick up the slack. How gorgeously put.
I feel you A! Baby Bulldog was up every 2 hours last night … also in the same room. I’m fairly loopy. Happy Thanksgiving — I miss you all!
Even through the blur of fatigue, the heart beats for those we love. Lovely, isn’t it.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. And I wish you an early night!
Happy Thanksgiving, Aidan. Thank you for your words today and every day.
Thanks for taking time out of your holiday to post. Lovely thoughts you’ve shared. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. And Happy Thanksgiving.
Holidays with tiny kids are such a special time; these are the times you’ll be recounting together, as a family, for many years to come. I hope the rest of your holiday was lovely!
I know I am late on this post but your words really struck me. As you said in the previous post, vacation with kids is not really vacation. It is, however, full of memories. Your heart becomes aware of the many great things present. Your mind may be hazy, but your heart is clear.
I love how you appreciated the moment – even if you SHOULD have been sleeping. When our youngest two were infants, when I was tempted to curse the times they woke us and kept us awake when we should have been sleeping, I reminded myself that these moments would pass so very, very quickly. And they have. At 5 and 6 we are rarely woken up before dawn. But now my husband and I look back and can remember specific early, early mornings when one of them kept us up and we couldn’t go back to sleep. We treasure those memories.
I am up far too early on so many mornings and I try so hard to find beauty in some of those mornings. The QUIET for one. The birds’ first chirps of the day. The interesting light and shadows. It is a special time, that time that you SHOULD be sleeping. It’s great that you captured it on camera!
Happy Thanksgiving Aidan. It seems you have so much to be thankful for and I am thankful for the chance to read the amazing words that you write each day.