Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy. They are the charming gardners who make our souls blossom.

– Marcel Proust

Happy Thanksgiving, friends.

Christine and I will celebrate Thanksgiving today with a hike. It’s a tradition we’ve carried on over the last several years. And while we will sit down to a meal later today, there won’t be a carved turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, or cranberry sauce. That meal will come on Sunday.

Why Sunday?

Because we’re grateful for the opportunity to get everyone around the table for our Thanksgiving on the homestead. And Sunday is the day that we can make that happen. For us Thanksgiving isn’t as much about the specific day as it is about the opportunity to come together under one roof as a family. We choose to do so unencumbered by obligations to be elsewhere and without a weighing sense of urgency to get to the next gathering. Unencumbered and unrushed, we come together to give thanks to one another, our land, and the many blessings of each year.

On this day we’re thankful. Thankful to our extended families and friends for understanding the challenges of blended families living under one roof. We hold our Thanksgiving on Sunday so no one feels obligated to leave one gathering in order to rush off to another. No one has to eat two or more Thanksgiving dinners in the same day (unless, of course, they want to). Everyone gets a turn. No one misses out. Here we all come to gather, for all are welcome and loved under our roof.

We’re thankful for our land and all that it provides. From our gardens we’ve preserved much in our larder. Sunday we’ll enjoy a feast with many ingredients grown right here on the homestead. We’re grateful for what comes from the land and what lives upon the land. We’re grateful for the antics of chickens. Not only do these tiny dinosaurs keep us well stocked in farm fresh eggs, but their very being brings joy to our days. We’re thankful for the curious yet gentle ways of our goats. They enrich our lives and are as dear to us as the family dog. We’re healthier, happier, and more self-sufficient thanks to the gifts of our land.

And lastly, we’re thankful for the many blessings of this year. We’ve successfully raised our first laying flock, expanded our gardens, lengthened our growing season, and preserved far more than the previous year. We’ve travelled both near and far to meet with, and learn from, a variety of homesteaders. Among these friends, true charming gardeners who make our souls blossom, we found our tribe. And from our tribe we’ve harvested lessons that will continue to grow our own homesteading journey. We’re grateful that this year we grew and are the better for it.

Happy Thanksgiving, all. Whether you gather today, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or any day of your choosing, we hope that you find a day of mutually shared gratitude and thanks for the many blessings of the year. Let us be grateful for the people who make us happy.