This Thanksgiving looked quite different from celebrations of years past.  In recent years, we have celebrated Thanksgiving at the cottage, surrounded by lots of family and with plenty of food on hand.  This year, I decided to try something different… I escaped to New York for the weekend!

Before you start thinking that I am a terrible wife, mother, and general family member, let me explain…  My son had a hockey tournament this weekend and all of my daughter’s usual weekend activities were cancelled due to the holiday.  It seemed like a perfect – and rare – opportunity to try something new.  So my daughter and I jetted off to the Big Apple for a short getaway.  We had a wonderful weekend – American Girl brunch, the Met, Cirque du Soleil and lots of walking and shopping.  AND, my son’s team won their tournament.  To top it all off, the four of us were still able to enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving dinner (purchased ready-made from a nearby store) together last night.  It was so good, it actually made me wonder why I have ever gone to the trouble of cooking a big turkey with all the fixings.

Thanksgiving brings with it the opportunity to reflect on our lives and give thanks for our good fortune.  As my daughter and I walked the High Line (a NY first for me… how did I not know about this beautiful walk?) over the weekend, I was filled with happiness and gratitude.  At age eight, my kids are entering a new stage in their lives.  They are little people, with distinct personalities.  They are funny and entertaining.  And I thoroughly enjoy spending time with them.  But, above all else, I am so very grateful for my children’s happiness.  They are both at excellent schools where they are thriving.  They are involved in activities that they love – for my son, it is hockey, soccer and x-country running; for my daughter, it is synchronized swimming, ballet and x-country running.  Their schedules are insanely busy, but are driven entirely by their interests and passions which makes it so much easier to get them up in the morning and get them to where they need to be.

I recognize that life can change on a dime.  Today’s happiness could lead to tomorrow’s misery.  With kids, it doesn’t take much – a mean comment from a classmate, a lost game, a bad practice, or a cold.  As part of my attempt to eke out more happiness from life, I am concentrating on living in the moment.  Today, my children are happy.  And I choose to focus on that!

I hope you all had as wonderful a Thanksgiving weekend as I did!