Part I: "You Have to Make Hay When the Sun is Shining"

Asher, Mom, and I had a very peaceful, low-key, relaxing Thanksgiving. As you can see from the picture above, the sun was shining today.  As my mom did on Sunday, she offered to take me for a drive to soak in some sunshine.

I waffled. Mom insisted, and I'm glad she did (she's always right on these things, it seems.). 

We went for a ride on a new road built on the mountain ridge. The view from the ridge top is quite spectacular--and even at over 65 MPH, my camera captured the moment and I haven't learned how to do anything other than use the 'Auto' function! On our return, we took a familiar ride through farmland on a road we've travelled many times in my lifetime. The best part was that no one was on the roads because everyone was eating their Thanksgiving meals!

Oh, and we brought candy corn along again! :)

The stretches of time between going anywhere other than to the doctor are so long that when I do get to go for a drive (which hadn't happened for a long time until just a couple of months ago), I don't even remember what the town and surrounding areas look like. The streets seem unfamiliar and the new buildings and roads are sometimes not even 'new' anymore. Oftentimes it has been years since I have seen these roads. If not years, many seasons have passed in between.  It's a strange phenomenon having all of this beauty so close, yet it seems so far away and out of reach.

Going for a ride together is something our family has always enjoyed--my Dad and Abbie go every Sunday, when my parents were married we often went for rides, when I was a baby who wouldn't sleep a ride could lull me into dreamland, and after I first got sick going for a ride was one of the few things that we could still do together. Then, after my Gallbladder surgery, we no longer were able to even go for rides together because I was so sick. Today, going for a ride reminded me of better times and all of the ways we love to spend time together. It was a nice change of pace.

Sometimes, too, I go so long seeing only the space I live in day to day that I think I forget a little too much how beautiful this area is. As we drove passed the mountains, the barns and the fields, I remembered why I love Central Pennsylvania. I remembered why this is my home. I remembered what is good and what is beautiful about where we live. I soaked in some sun, talked my mom's ears off, ate a little candy corn, took pictures, and patted Asher on the head. And I felt happy.

When we arrived home, Mom said, "Well, you have to make hay when the sun is shining." I said, "What?!" I had never heard that expression before. (Corina--are you reading? Here is a new idiom for you!). In a nutshell, if you haven't heard this phrase before, it means that you need to enjoy the sun when it's out, because you don't know when it's going to shine again (especially here in Central Pennsylvania!). I guess that my Grandma Helen used to say this often.

I knew I had things to 'do', piles to sort, but Mom said it was better to make the hay! :) For me, I think there's a lesson to be taken from this old idiom. Maybe some days it's not the the sun in it's literal sense that is shining.  On days when I do get a touch of Spring--those are the days to simply realize that my feeling a bit better is my own personal touch of sun, and it's time on those days to 'make hay' and embrace the day, rather than bog it down with 'to-dos' and 'shoulds'.

After my nap, we had a simple, yet incredibly yummy dinner of fresh Cornish hens, acorn squash and homemade cranberry relish (a new very yummy recipe with blueberries and raisins in it!). For dessert, we had our traditional nightly two squares of dark chocolate. Asher even got something tonight--because after all, we are very thankful for him--so he got the hearts from the Cornish hens (in exchange for waves, shakes, roll-overs, sits and downs!).

We topped off the evening with the ever-classic A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Oh how I love Snoopy serving up toast and popcorn for Thanksgiving dinner! (Along with Legally Blonde, I can watch the Peanuts specials and never tire of them--it amazes me that more than 40 years later they are still so fun and funny.)

Maybe the day seems boring to others, but to us it was perfect in its simplicity and peacefulness. It was exactly what we both needed and wanted. We spent time together, we ate good food, and we told each other what we were thankful for--mostly each other, the comfort of our warm and safe home, and of course, Asher. Oh, and I top my list to her with being thankful for her good cooking! :)

And I was reminded of more than I expected to be today. I was reminded that this really is home to me for so many reasons. I was full from a sense of place and home, from the blessing of family, and from the wonderful food. And isn't that what Thanksgiving all about?  Being able to end the day 'full' with Thanksgiving? 

Oh, and I learned to "Make hay when the sun is shining."

I hope your day was one that left you feeling 'full'--not just with good food, but with peace, gratitude and love.

Blessings,

Emily

Photo:  Asher's favorite way to travel---with his head hanging over the edge of the backseat. He's quirky alright! He loves to go for rides, but I think it's more about the feel of the ride rather than taking in the view. (He just doesn't realize how many cows, and pigs and horses he misses getting bark at!) He has always, since we rescued him, felt the safest when he is in the car.