Round 7, Days 25-27

Thanksgiving was a wonderful day for us!! We had most of our family here ... and got to talk to those who couldn't be home.

We had delicious food, lots of laughter and catching up.

My gives:

Wednesday November 25: my daughter had a sinking spell when we were out and many of us were sitting around the table waiting for food. She really needed to go home, and I cheerfully got up from the table and took her. Sometimes these simple things get swept under the rug during bigger, more splashy times like making Thanksgiving Dinner. It was my give for the day because I was so conscious of it, and at the time I was thinking of how much of a giver my daughter is becoming. She is 23 now, and she is maturing into the kind of person who does notice what needs to be done and simply pitches in to do it. It was a pleasure to be able to give back to her when she wasn't feeling well, and to be part of the Universe that responds to her when she's in need.

Thursday November 26: Thanksgiving Dinner, yes it was gorgeous and delicious! But my give was a game of Scrabble to some of my young nieces and nephews in the evening when the day was nearly done. It was a pleasure to sit around a table with these young people and have a relaxing time together ... listening to them laugh and banter, and sharing some of that family feeling that we don't often get to do in the busy world of school functions and holidays. Most often I'm a spectator at some activity they are involved in (ballet, chorus, track) but this was fun to be able to be together and visit, talk, laugh and share. I didn't win and it didn't matter! :)

Friday November 27: My give on Friday was putting up our Christmas Tree. Everyone had things to do, and I didn't mind. I decided to go ahead and put it up and get it decorated ... we all love it and enjoy having it in the living room. So over the course of the day with lots of laundry and leftovers too, I decorated our beautiful tree. I listened to some Christmas Carols and enjoyed myself immensely. Everyone remarked on it, was encouraging but no one seemed interested in helping. It was really and truly okay. I think that's because of this 29 Day Giving Challenge. I had a choice to try to wrangle people in to helping, or to decide that this could be my give! And making it my give changed the whole dynamic. I really enjoy doing it, every ornament means something to me ... each part of the tree from the lights to the tinsel to the icicles reaffirms a tradition that goes back my entire life. I have very few of these kinds of things - and so it is a special event. At the end of the day, after it was all cleaned up I turned off the lights in the living room and left the tree lights on -- and I know that each member of my family felt something special as they walked through on their way to bed. I was grateful to be able to give that to them!