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| This is me bundled up for the Turkey Trot |
When my mom moved up to the north woods of Wisconsin, my one sister got married and my second sister was in college and involved with her now husband. I had a friend and her family I would be with for Thanksgiving so the three of us were never together. That was eighteen years ago.
A lot has changed. I no longer have that friend and both sisters are still married with children and step children. I've gone to new relatives houses or stayed at home. I've had more choices which has been very good for the mental illness.
Today was my hometown's Turkey Trot. It's a 4 mile run or 2 mile run/walk. I volunteer on our Friends of the Library committee. The Turkey Trot coordinators/volunteers help us at our Bunny Hop (Easter) then we volunteer at the Turkey Trot.
It was my first time volunteering at the Turkey Trot. I serve with some of the loveliest ladies who fill my heart. We do a lot of laughing and have so much fun.
We were stationed on the highway that enters into our town. We were privileged to shout and cheer for the veterans and young navy men from Great Lakes Naval Base who were going to eat their holiday meal in our town. They were waving back with great enthusiasm and hanging out the bus windows. They were escorted by police cars and fire trucks with their sirens blaring and P.O.W. / M.I.A. flags blowing in the wind on their motorcycles. We were the only group welcoming them into town. If I weren't so cold I would have had tears running down my face!
Once the runners reached mile marker 3 (which is near where we were) all four of us were cheering them on and giving them a high five as they rounded the corner for the final mile. So many of them thanked us for standing outside in the cold and wished us a Happy Thanksgiving. We told them they'd be running downhill soon, thanks for participating and to enjoy the rest of their day. It was especially exciting when a group would be passing through and all of their hands would be reaching out for encouragement or looking for a little connection as they ran that final mile.
When I came home it took about six hours to thaw out. I ate my Thanksgiving lunch, talked to both of my sisters (I talked to my Mom last night) then rested. After a couple of hours I felt the fatigue hit. I had walked with a friend one mile to our station. It felt good at the time but then WHAMMO!
I just finished dinner and now I'm going to read the first two days of "The Purpose Driven Life," by Rick Warren. My 15 year old niece and I are going to Starbucks tomorrow to see if this is the book she wants to read. I'm trying to find a good one to disciple her and since she said this is one she's wanted to read it's where we are starting.
- Self-Care: Thanksgiving is not just about what I'm thankful for but also about what I can do that will bring thanks to someone else. Standing outside with temperatures in the low 20's for about 2 hours can bring thanks from event personnel, event participants, military personnel and veterans, co-volunteers and others you know nothing about.
- I was invited to share Thanksgiving with others whom I love but I chose not to because I wanted some peace and quiet. I was looking forward to this day and I loved it.
- Even though I keep looking for Kitten, in my soul I know God has her in the loving gentleness of His hands. I don't feel sad right now. I think I'm still holding onto hope that one day I'll drive up and she'll be sitting on my stoop.
