Columnists
The Earth is good to me
It’s Sunday. I’m writing this column while watching a newsmagazine show. Last week we celebrated Thanksgiving with those in our family who could make the trip to the County. Today, one week later, the house is quiet. I am thankful for the chaos a weekend with family brings and I am thankful for the quiet – the calm after the storm. It’s also been almost two decades since I wrote my first column for The Times. I am thankful that Rick asked me, twice, to write for the then Wellington Times. I had no idea how writing a bi-weekly column was going to work for me. Rick seemed confident in my ability and even paid for the coffee as we tapped out a dollar deal. I was a bit worried about making a commitment to writing a (then) biweekly piece. The very first column I wrote for the Wellington Times was entitled, “Big Boxes Rock My Sock-es”. I drew my inspiration for that column from a road trip to Napanee with my good friend, Susan. I figured if it got published, good. If I was asked to write another column, I’d want to know more about the mental state of the Editor. I am grateful for the good, the better and the best. It isn’t always easy to come up with an idea for a column —now weekly—and I’m grateful for all of the inspiration from my family, my friends and this community. The quiet of our post Thanksgiving crowded house helps get the creative juices flowing. And here I sit, one week since the Clan got together, still very thankful for the opportunity to write.
So, here I am being properly grateful and thankful, in spite of the waves of ups and downs 2025 has given so far. Some of our family was able to be here for a Thanksgiving celebration. We had lots of good food, lots of laughs and a wee bit of music. After the last hugs and kisses were given, LOML and I spent the next two hours telling each other how grateful and thankful we are to have all of our immediate family living in the province and close enough to visit for a celebration. We tell each other this while washing dinner dishes, putting table linens through the laundry, packing up the leftovers, recycling empties, composting compostables and restocking the “bumpf”. Just when we think we’ve found all of the drink glasses, table napkins and coffee mugs we find one more. Today, one week later, we feel as if we’ve found our energy once again. And then I remember it’s been more than a week since we did the grocery inventory. After food shopping for a big, family celebration I often swear I’ll never go to a grocery store again. Last week I was shopped out, but today we’re out of flour, eggs, juice, fruit and veggies. As we gather the reusable bags, the car keys, put on our shoes we laugh because as we’re about to leave we spot another coffee mug from last weekend alongside a Hallowe’en napkin with a bite of cookie on it. It’s hard to tell if that’s a Thanksgiving coffee mug or a yesterday milkshake mug from youngest grandkiddo’s visit with his Momma.
Does it sound as if we’re not grateful and thankful? That couldn’t be further from the truth. LOML and I are overwhelmed with the love and gratitude we have for our family and for our friends. It’s hard for us to believe our great, good fortune. We never once, in our earlier days, thought our lives could be so full of fun, noise, music, love and magic. Once again, as we go over the grocery list, we wonder if we should consider ordering take-away for our next get-together at Christmas time. We both agree it would be a lot easier, but deep down, I think we like the chaos and calamity of having a bunch of family and friends milling around the too-hot kitchen telling jokes and getting in my way. I’m sure take-away wouldn’t be as much fun as the orchestrated hubbub we revel in during each holiday. And as the family Thanksgiving celebration wound down, I remembered a thankfulness song I learned when I was a Girl Guide. (Yes, I freaking was a Girl Guide. If you saw my campfire building skills in action during a torrential downpour you’d know my Girl Guide powers are still strong). Here goes:
“Oh the earth is good to me. And so I thank the earth. For the sun and the rain and the appleseed. The earth is good to me.”
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