A ballad of thanks.

Thanksgiving, how are you already here? I welcome your warm, savory presence but I lament your suddenness because soon you will be over. And then there will be me, left drunk on pie and tryptophan and cozy all over. Thank goodness I bought a dress for the occasion -- elegance and poise to mask the real reason here. The avoidance of unbuttoned pants!

So here is the tried and true Thanksgiving post. What I am graciously thankful for. For I know I have these things at the end of the day, right before my eyes close with sleep.

• My husband-to-be. My very best friend. And every time I get to reunite with him after a hard day, sitting snug under soft blankets in our living room, watching Dexter, drinking spritzers, spending time. And the infinite number of reasons I love him. He is my literal universe that one.
• My sweet family. And how we make the holidays big because spending time together is always big and important to us. How we laugh. How it's always my favorite thing to see them all.
• The special people I call my close friends. And how each and every one of you are precious lights in my world.
• The comfort and safety I get to have in this life, because there are those who are not as fortunate.
• My body, and what it can do. And that I am healthy, and blessed to be.
• That thinking, creating, doing thing up there in my head -- that also gives me logic, poise, and grace.
• Our near-future puppy!
• White chocolate covered Oreos and pumpkin cheesecake. 
• Baths. Baths and candles. And dresses.
• Where I am now from where I was.

And now I will leave you with a Thanksgiving memory I hold dear in that special corner of my heart, where I store all moments I like to retrieve again and again and wrap myself in the essence of the memory. Breathe it in. A little girl me, helping my dad butter the turkey and handing him proper spices when requested, with this song, playing in the background per my request, every year. Happy Thanksgiving to all, and may your hearts (and bellies) be full!