For these things we give thanks.

Thanksgiving. It is no longer the largest gathering at the Fisher farm: our August party wins that title. But it is traditionally the time when the most family members gather together under one roof, to celebrate our good health, good fortune and blessings. It also marks the beginning of another season - my favourite - and so it reminds us of the passage of time.


Everything went off without a hitch this year: the Farmer was up before dawn to prep the 29-lb. bird that grew in our own barnyard. I got up a bit later and started setting the buffet table. We have learned to simplify the routine. In previous years we moved living room furniture out into the hall and onto the porch and set up long dining tables. Simplicity is best. It allows for freedom of movement, and now I feel as though I had a chance to speak with each and every guest.

All five daughters showed up, but I forgot to get a group photo. I will have to remember to do this next time they are all together in the same place, because it doesn't happen as often as it used to. And there is another thing we forgot to do. Because we had a buffet and sat scattered all over the house, we weren't eating together at long tables and we didn't say our Thanksgiving grace. I think I'll say mine now.

I am truly thankful for my health. I have a friend who is going through treatment for breast cancer and she is on my mind every day. I woke up Sunday morning and as I reached to put something in the freezer, my back spasmed. I was in pain most of the day. But I know it's temporary. I am grateful that all of our family members are in good health.

I am thankful that we have very little stress in our lives. We don't commute more than a few minutes to work, we have simple lifestyles centred around the farm, local restaurants and good friends. I rarely even go to town on the weekend. My truck sits unused from Friday to Monday. The Farmer and I are not fans of making plans. We like to take things as they come, leaving our schedules open for possibilities. And we never try to pack too much into one weekend. Life is too short. Weekends should be slow.

I am thankful for good friends, new and old. Sometimes they join our family for Sunday dinner, and sometimes we join them for an impromptu gathering, like we did Saturday at a friend's hunt camp. The camp was back behind a cornfield and a soybean field. I didn't realize we needed to travel a short distance by ATV along the highway, otherwise we would have brought all the necessary identification, etc. After a nice turkey dinner, we climbed aboard the 4-wheeler and headed back up the muddy lane to the farm.

As we pulled up onto the highway for the short sprint across the bridge, a police car pulled us over.

We got our lecture and were left to sweat a little while the officer wrote his report but, in the end, he believed us when we said we originally had no intention of driving near any roadway. We thought we were simply going through a cornfield behind the house. And he said he could hardly hand us a ticket after seeing that ridiculous basket strapped to the front of our ATV, like we were just coming from Grandma's house or something. I am thankful for police officers with a sense of humour. And thank you to our hosts' son, who pointed out the trail along the cornfield, which would eliminate the need to go anywhere near the road. Yeah, that information would have been helpful at the beginning of our visit.

As we head into fall and wake up Thanksgiving Monday with a generous layer of frost on the ground, I am thankful for so many things. We have more than enough, so we share with others. And we are blessed to have others with which to share.