THANKSGIVING & BLESSINGS

By Shirley M. Carolan

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  For my family and I, it holds very significant memories.  We were living in London, England in 1947.  World War II had ended the summer of 1945, yet England was still on food rations in 1947.  That November, my parents announced to my twin brother and I that we would be emigrating to America shortly.   We were 14 and a half at the time.

We boarded the SS AMERICA at Southampton, England on Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 1947 and set sail for New York.  At the time we did not know the meaning of Thanksgiving Day but we soon found out.  At first, we were quite overwhelmed by the wonderful food and fresh fruits. During the war, we had not seen bananas or peaches, or even white bread.  It was a novelty to take these back to our cabin to eat.  We were not sure if we should peel the fruit first and had to ask our parents.

Eggs where another novelty.  At breakfast, the steward asked how my family would like their eggs served?  There was dead silence.  He persisted … sunnyside up? …over easy?  …hard boiled?  They settled for sunnyside up which became their undoing because when the eggs arrived and the cheerful yolks looked up at them they bolted from the huge ship’s dining room, not to be seen, or heard from again until we were close to New York harbor.

Indeed, I was the lucky one because I couldn’t eat eggs and thus my long anticipated freedom to explore this magnificent ship on my own was now realized.  However, not to be outdone, my twin brother did not eat all of his eggs and thus insisted upon accompanying me.

As we surveyed the various decks and assorted amusements we entered an Ice Cream Parlor.  We were in heaven ordering and eating ice cream sundaes until we tried our first Coca Cola and got quite a shock because it reminded us of cough medicine we were forced to take when ill. H’m …

Since that first Thanksgiving I’ve enjoyed this holiday in various settings.  While I never married or had children to share this lovely holiday with, I’ve never lost my childhood fascination with the meaning of Thanksgiving.   In recent years, I’ve set my own traditions.  Yesterday was no exception.  After giving morning thanks and watching the Macy’s Day Parade, I took my little Shih-Tzu, Krissy, down to Carlsbad by the sea to enjoy a stroll along the boardwalk.

It was a magnificent afternoon with the sun shining warmly on my back and bouncing off the waves in majesty.  My spirits soared as I breathed in the beautiful fresh air and observed the majestic Pacific Ocean.  How lucky I felt to be living in this wonderful paradise!  Tourists and residents were out in full swing.  I exchanged pleasantries with so many people I was almost hoarse when it was time to come home.  Dog lovers and owners were also out in full force.  There were so many breeds to ooh and ahh over.  Krissy got her fill of pats and loving too.  One young lady even asked could she have a picture taken with her! 

Then I came home to Cornish Hen, Brussell sprouts, yams, pearl onions, stuffing, etc.  Dessert was a surprise.  Ah yes, I have so much to be thankful for as well as blessings galore!

Shirley M. Carolan, ATMG
Author,Speaker,Artist
artistwithaflair@att.net
Phone/Fax: 760-732-0663
www.smcarolan.blogspot.com

LETTING GO OF THE FRUSTRATION

by Shirley M. Carolan

Today, I learned, or became aware of once again, the importance of letting go of situations, people, and things that I can’t control, especially computers and software when they decide to act up.

To keep my sanity, I realized the most important thing was not to be right but to be happy in the moment and let go of the struggle. Life just was not meant to be a struggle. It was meant to be enjoyed. I needed to regain my perspective, balance and priorities.

It may be that I will never conquer my new computer with Windows Vista and Microsoft Word 2007. Or, at the very least, perhaps I will gain just enough knowledge of them both to get on with my writing. I certainly don’t remember having the problems learning Windows XP that I’m having with Windows Vista.

There were other dynamics at work too. I had struggled for three days editing and rewriting a book proposal that was needed “yesterday” but which could not satisfy my marketing guru and confidante. Each time I submitted a rewrite she returned it with her version of what she felt was appropriate. After 4 days I gave up trying to please her.

It’s O.K. I reasoned, better to keep my sanity and energy moving in a positive direction than getting my nose out of joint because things weren’t going my way!! The need to be right was over ruled by the need to stay centered and balanced. As long as I knew I had given it my best shot that’s all I think I needed to accept to be at peace. Let the marketing guru have her way and get on with my life.

There are other, probably equally important, lessons for me to learn from these past four days than getting or doing things my way. I certainly can’t get back the time I spent trying to get things done “perfectly,” or rewriting and rewriting to please the marketing guru. And, it occurred to me that if the book struck the fancy of the publisher, that may not be the end of the deal. It’s possible their editor(s) will want me to change some words, or chapters in the book. I had better be prepared, I told myself, to acquiesce and not make things harder for myself. My passion for words and the careful way I use them to express myself and my work may have to take a back seat in this zany world of book publishing. H’m?

Shirley M. Carolan
artistwithaflair@att.net
Phone/Fax: 760-732-0332
www.shirleycarolan.com
http://smcarolan.blogspot.com
http://angelscross.blogspot.com