Motherhood & Words

I try to incorporate gratitude into every day, year round. At the dinner table before we eat, we all go around and say what we’re thankful for. (Which can get silly sometimes, but is mostly sweet.) Others days I try to stop in the middle of my rush to do whatever I’m rushing to do, and remember to be grateful, to appreciate the life we’re living, give thanks for our family, our friends.

But I love Thanksgiving, a day of thanks all day. And the food, of course (which I hope will taste especially good after the last ten days of my gluten-free vegan cleanse). Bring on the turkey! And mashed potatoes! And pie! (Don’t worry, I’ll take it slow. We have two meals today, so I have to pace myself or it will get ugly.)

This morning, we’re starting the day with a 5K. Stella and I ran one together last year in support of marriage equality in Minnesota. And today we’re running around Lake Calhoun in support of Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. It’s freezing here, so it probably won’t be too fun for Donny and Zoë, who will be cheering us on. But I know that as Stella and I circle the lake, I will be especially thankful for the strong, healthy former preemie running beside me, and for her sister, who is going to try to run her first race next year.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! I hope you day is filled with love and fabulous food!

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Kate

I have been teaching creative writing for almost twenty years. Reading about other women’s lives and experiences has expanded my world. To be able to walk in someone else’s shoes, whether it’s for a moment or an hour or a few days, is an incredible gift, providing me with insight into the human experience. It takes courage to write your truths, especially if it doesn’t seem as though anyone cares, as though anyone is listening. Let me tell you: your stories matter, I’m listening, and I’m here to help you find the heart of those truths, to get them down on the page, to craft them, and to send them out into the world. Together, we will change the world, one story at a time.

8 Comments

  1. Nina on November 28, 2013 at 11:04 am

    SO cool that you two run together! Hope it went well. Happy Thanksgiving!



    • Kate on December 2, 2013 at 7:59 am

      Thanks, Nina! It was fun. She did great! (She only asked to walk once, and wanted to run again after 1 minute.) She finished 15th of the 14 and under females! Go, Stella!

      I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving, as well!



  2. Sue LeBreton on November 28, 2013 at 12:08 pm

    Running a 5km with Stella, yes that really is something to be grateful for. Hope the support crew doesn’t freeze and that your two turkey dinners are delicious. I ail be curious about how the body responds after the cleanse- may be post there 🙂



    • Kate on December 2, 2013 at 8:01 am

      The support crew DID freeze, sadly. And then on our way back to the car Zoe fell and scraped her knees. She was weeping weeping weeping until we got to the coffee shop for hot chocolate and a donut.

      The body did NOT like the first meal (egg rolls, ham and turkey). I took the rest of the day slow.



  3. Angie Mizzell on November 29, 2013 at 8:51 am

    Happy Thanksgiving, Kate. I’m thankful for you! I hope Donny and Zoe weren’t TOO cold and your meals were delicious. It must be an awesome feeling to run with Stella, to witness how strong she’s become in so many ways.



    • Kate on December 2, 2013 at 8:01 am

      I’m thankful for you, too, Angie! I hope you guys had a wonderful WARM Thanksgiving. I can’t wait to hear about your trip!



  4. Janine Kovac on November 29, 2013 at 2:35 pm

    We go around the table, too. Usually the boys says something like, “I’m thankful for my fork, my knife, my plate, my milk…” and we’ve recently had to institute some rules about that. You can only be thankful for cutlery once a week. On Thanksgiving proper we make an extra turkey (plus roasted potatoes, salad & chocolate chip cookies for the PM shift at the NICU). Can’t believe this was our 4th anniversary of NICU turkeys.



    • Kate on December 2, 2013 at 8:02 am

      Oh Janine, that is so funny. And how sweet that you guys make a meal for the PM shift at the hospital. I’m sure they were thrilled!