thankful

while i take time to ponder what i am thankful for on most thanksgivings, this one has been especially poignant in the thankful category.
first i was thankful for some time off. lord knows i deserved it after only one week and two days of work! so with five days off ahead of us, seth and i headed to cape cod for thanksgiving time with his family. we spent the actual day of thanksgiving with his mom. it was a glorious day as i was able to cook all the day away. for an appetizer i prepared a mushroom and bacon dip. it was delicious and far from low fat. i also made a cranberry ginger relish, and i again was forced to ask myself the question: if making cranberry sauce is so easy, why would anyone buy the can? i also made a chocolate pumpkin pie which was utterly decadent. i left off the drizzle of milk chocolate but i don't think the pie suffered.
together, seth's mom and i prepared the stuffed turkey breast that i suggested we make this year. we stuffed it with a sausage, sage, and apricot stuffing. it turned out great. i think it could have cooked a little bit less and i would have rubbed under the skin with butter instead of just over the skin, but it was wonderful. seth's mom completed the meal with string beans and roasted sweet potatoes.
the day was quite good and i was left feeling thankful for seth and good food. i do love martha stewart, but i have to say i was a little disturbed when i realized that everything i prepared, except the stuffing, was a martha stewart recipe. not sure what to make of that.
the part of the weekend that really made me thankful came saturday, when seth's best friend's sister, nena, was married. nena's father, greg, is dying of cancer. there was doubt that he would make it to the wedding, but he did. he is an amazingly wonderful man who, along with his wife betty, have raised three of the most awesome humans i know. greg and betty are two people that i look to as role models for parenting. they are only human and have their flaws, but they are amazing and manage to have so much dignity in such a difficult time.
this experience, with such strong emotions, both high and low, remind me to be thankful for many things. for each moment i have surrounded by loved ones. for those people in my life who love me for who i am. for tradition and change and loving each other and learning from one another through everything.