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A Day of Thanksgiving and Reflection

November 24, 2010 by Jeanette 2 Comments

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Thanksgiving is a day of reflection, a day to stop and ponder all that I am grateful for despite the many challenges of this past year. A year ago, this blog did not exist. Instead, I was nursing my 17-year old son back to health after he suffered a horrible football concussion.

Locked in the house in a dark room with the blinds shut for a month, and the phone and TV turned off, I was uncertain if he would make a full recovery.

During that month, my son’s and my life were put on hold. I rarely left the house, keeping a watchful eye over my son. Forced to cancel appointments, meetings and prior commitments, it became apparent that so much of the running around I had been doing before my son’s accident was senseless and unnecessary.  I was forced to re-prioritize what was essential and what was not, and I learned that most of what I had been doing really wasn’t important at all in the scheme of things.

Human life is so precious and fleeting, and circumstances can change a person’s life in a split second. This Thanksgiving, I am especially grateful that my oldest son is healthy again and has regained all of his cognitive abilities, and that my other three boys are all in good health.

I am also especially thankful for my loving and supportive husband, who encouraged me to start blogging this past July. I have always loved cooking, but found myself most inspired when I started cooking for friends with cancer, awed by their strength, faith and determination.  My husband saw this passion in me, and gave me the push I needed to start this blog.

When I started this blog, my intent was to share recipes I had made for friends with cancer, as well as healthier foods I had introduced to my family of four growing boys.  Along the way, people have reached out to me, from those who have been diagnosed with cancer and are looking for healthy recipes, to those that are cooking for friends with cancer, or just want to cook more healthily for their families.

I am grateful for the opportunity to share what I’ve learned along the way, and thankful for all the feedback and encouragement from my readers. Your feedback has inspired me to develop healthy recipes, not just for my friends and sons, but for all of you who are trying to eat more healthily.I am also thankful for my four sons, who are my built-in taste testers (if I can come up with something that all four boys will eat, I know it’s a keeper!) and find it mildly amusing that their mother has found something to do other than chauffeuring them around.

On this Thanksgiving Day, I have so much to be grateful for, and pray for the healing of all those suffering from illnesses and injury.
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Filed Under: Holidays, Resources, Thanksgiving Tagged With: family, thanksgiving

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Comments

  1. Carole says

    November 25, 2010 at 11:32 pm

    Wow. I just don't even have the words to tell you how I feel having found your blog.

    I was sitting here surfing around on the internet with two friends on my mind. Both have cancer and are undergoing chemo. I've been cooking for one, but after having gone to a chef's cooking show where she specialized in phyto nutrients, I've been inspired to try to cook "cancer fighting foods." BUT…I had no clue where to start.

    That's where the surfing came into the picture…I went back to my favorite websites and stumbled across your Festive Clementine Avocado salad on Tasty Kitchen and thought how the chef would have LOVED it! She had just highlighted several of the ingredients. Intrigued, I clicked your blog and read your Thanksgiving post. I'm so thankful that your son's well now and that you're able to do something you love.

    I'm now adding finding your blog to my list of things to be thankful for. Thank your husband for me, too. 🙂

    God bless!!!!

    Reply
  2. Jeanette says

    November 26, 2010 at 10:31 am

    Thanks so much for your kind note Carole. Yes, we have so much to be thankful for. If I can help you as you're cooking for your friends, please let me know. Your friends are so fortunate to have you cooking healthy foods for them, especially during chemo.

    Reply

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