"Everything in life can be nourishing. Everything can bless us, but we've got to be there for the blessing to occur. Being present with quality is a decision we are invited to make each day."
-- MacRina Wiederkehr
Thanksgiving was perfect. It wasn't stressful like other years; there was a subtle shift that made it a moment to treasure instead of a hurried crazy mess of hungry people waiting for a turkey.
It started with a snowstorm. It actually was quite beautiful and the roads stayed mostly clean while the trees and grass were covered. I was able to get my yummy smoked turkey with no trouble at all and my sister got here before I even got home from work on Wednesday.
After doing some chores, we began cooking. It usually takes us about 2 hours to get the casseroles prepared for baking the next day. This year we were able to do all of the flavors we consider traditional while staying gluten and dairy-free. It was amazing to me how good everything was!
I should have taken a picture of all of it. We had a yummy smoked turkey, sausage stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, spinach savoy, drunken sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin bread. Everyone loved everything. The flavors were like when Mom made them and everything stayed happy in my tummy.
We chilled after doing the dishes and watched a movie. Then there was more clean up and lots of Minecraft. Sis and I built this little island for getting leather. All the design is Sis. Her architectural skills kicked in and she was having a ball just creating some beautiful coordinating pens, a house and an enchanting room.
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| Our island leather farm and enchanting house |
We started this little endeavor because when we upgraded to 1.8 we lost all of our achievements. We both needed to get the enchanting achievements and last time we traded for the bookcases from the village for days before we got enough to build a really nice enchanting nook.
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| Ahh Serenity |
My Sis had wanted to travel somewhere new, so after many days walking on water, I found the above scene. I knew that I wanted to explore the caves in that mountain and look at all the coal...but what I love is the flowing waterfalls...so serene.
One of the big things in this game is every house I have has to have windows. In most survival scenarios I have windows before I have a door. :) One of the things I love about Minecraft is the beauty of the world. My family knows this...each of us have that thing that is important to us and we all try to honor each other's little nuances that make the game special. Mine is windows.
Windows allow us to see the world; sometimes we see things from a different perspective that help us to appreciate them more. Windows also open up and let the light in. Both are ideal to appreciating the beauty that is around us.
I think what made Thanksgiving different this year was that I opened myself up and let the light in. I tried to look at everything from a different point of view and not judge what I saw with my perceptions or preconceived notions. I really tried not to stress about how everything would come out and focused on enjoying the cooking and creating a beautiful tapestry of a meal, that as a whole became something even more beautiful. Instead of focusing on what I couldn't eat anymore, I opened up a door of possibilities of things I could use to substitute with. But most of all I had a little mantra that I said until I believed it, "I intend for Thanksgiving to be wonderful." ...and it was. :)
Blessings to you and yours, this day and every day,Ruinwen
:)
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