One of the blessings that I try to give thanks for every day is Lori, my wife. She brings many more gifts to our marriage than I, and her creativity is one bright example.
The arrangement in the photo above is a fine example of Lori's talent for taking common items and presenting them in an eye-catching manner that forces the fortunate observer to pause and appreciate the display.
The arrangement is one of several Lori assembled to prepare our home for Thanksgiving Day 2011. We had a simple observation this year. Our day involved Lori and I hosting my mother — just the three of us for a quiet day that included a late breakfast and our holiday meal. We ordered a meal from Enticing Cuisine, a Batavia caterer — one of our favorites. We selected a caterer because I didn't want Lori spending her holiday preparing an elaborate meal for three people.
We made the right choice. The meal was delicious, and we spent the afternoon in relaxed conversation. And while the meal was impressive and the conversation engaging, I found my attention drawn again and again to the arrangements Lori had set around the house, the cornucopia in particular.
It rekindled in me an appreciation for the simple qualities of life — the elements we frequently miss as we rush through each day. I grasped a sense of appreciation on my recent birthday, but it slipped away during the blur of days that raced by in October and November. I am blessed that I reconnected with this sense again on Thanksgiving, and I am grateful that it returned to me by way of an arrangement of squash and other symbols of the harvest season. One of many blessings I give thanks for at the end of my day.
