I love that every year we have an entire holiday around being thankful. You sit at the table before you eat and you give thanks to the big and the little.
Here’s my table (until this weekend where we have our 3rd annual FRANCEgiving woo!) and this year, I’m sticking to the basics.
I’m incredibly thankful for my French family welcoming me in me without hesitation, all quirks included, and accepted.
It’s not easy to welcome someone into your home to life for a year when you don’t speak their language or understand their culture, but never was there once a feeling of animosity, never once a question of “So how long will you be here, again?”, never once a rejection to my crazy ideas of building a business in a different language- Always an embrace of encouragement, always a “Sit down and have a tea, let’s talk about it.”, always an, “OK, so if you can’t go back for Thanksgiving, let’s do it here. Invite all of your friends.”.
I’m lucky. Incredibly lucky.
There are so many people who don’t have safe or loving homes to go back to for any holidays, or that may have family, but feel rejected by them due to differences.
I’ve been really conscious of being grateful this year for the little things, like being able to use both hands without pain (that was a scary few weeks), and having the metro so close (as smelly as it is, it’s quick and convenient), but the biggest thing this year was the support I’ve felt here in France.
It’s been a game changer. And I’m thankful.
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In regards to the countless people who have nowhere to go this thanksgiving and through the holiday season, please consider opening your home and table to them. In NYC HONY does a huge thanksgiving match-up for those willing to open their homes, and those needing some “family” for whatever reason.
