Thankful

This November we made a Thanksgiving tree. We started with twigs from the back yard, dirt and twine.

Then we added felt and brown paper “leaves.” On the leaves we wrote things that we are thankful for. Sam is crazy about writing these days and insisted on writing her own gratitudes (with me spelling the words for her).

We put the tree near the front door and invited friends and family who came over to add their own leaves.

Here are some of the “gratitudes” that grew on our tree last month:

Family near and far
The future
Finishing dance class
Friends
Family
AC
The days
For my good life. For my family’s
Good health
Playing with Sammy
Sam
Everyone is good at cleaning up
Mom
Chocolate
Good news
Opportunities

I’ll leave you to guess which ones were Sam’s. And I’ll come right out and confess that the last one was mine. Opportunities, eh? Yes, they came aknockin’ in November. Shortly before Thanksgiving AC was offered and accepted a one-year transfer to the Linden Lab UK office in Brighton. So we’re going back to Brighton, sometime in early 2010. I’m excited, but sad too because after three years in the Bay Area I was finally feeling like I had made some friends and was part of a community.

We’ll be back to the Bay Area in a year though and that is some comfort. Of course this time next year I’ll be lamenting the loss of the connections I made in the UK! Dang. Does it never end? Though I suppose that’s just what this end time of year is about: giving thanks, grieving, celebrating, reckoning. But with any luck next year’s Thanksgiving tree will sprout a leaf that reads: “Friends new and old.”