It is hard to believe as I sit here that Christmas is only a couple of days away. For us, school got out on Friday and the kiddo has been home for a few days now. We’ve, baked our cookies, the gifts are wrapped and most have been delivered and we even attempted making our own gingerbread house. This year our festivities looked different. We weren’t able to have Brunch with Santa, go to our gingerbread house decorating class with our group of friends, or do many of the other events we normally have planned this time of year. But the limited outdoor time we did get to see those who are important to us was even more special.
This year is so different than many as we will miss the warmth of our loved ones hugs. We will miss our big fat Greek gatherings and being able to celebrate with whomever we chose to, wherever we choose to. We will miss all of the personal touches. Saying that we would be remiss if we didn’t include everything that we are grateful for. We’re grateful for so many things including our health and the health of our loved ones. A roof over our head, heat on the cold Canadian nights and food on the table. We know this year will be a harder year for so many. We would like our loved ones and friends to know that we are here for you. If there is anything you need or we can do to help brighten up your Holiday Season, just ask.
From our family to yours….Merry Christmas! Wishing each and every one of you all the best that the season has to offer.
A little ditty about Jack and Diane...no really in all seriousness I'm a daughter, sister, wife and mother. I'm a Greek-American, who has transplanted in Canada. As a first time mom I'm sharing some things as I go along.
When was the last time you thanked someone? I don’t mean thank you for holding the door, passing the gravy but thanking them for really touching your life? The other side of that is when has someone gone out of their way to truly thank you?
A few weeks ago, on Thursday evening, my doorbell rang. Honestly I hate answering my door because it is usually someone trying to sell me something. I put on my “get lost” face as I climbed down the stairs. When I peeked out of the shade, I saw my neighbour standing there. Of course I opened the door to see what she wanted. She stopped by to let me know that our neighbour down the street, Al, passed away the night before. I thanked her for stopping by and let her know that another neighbour had brought me up to speed earlier in the day. She continued to say that she had been fortunate over last three months to really get to know him. Al was a kind and gentle soul whom she had learned so much from. And she had me to thank for that. Honestly it stunned me. She said, “If you hadn’t planned on our socially distanced street party over the summer, I may have never gotten to know him.” She became emotional and it was then that it became obvious to me that they truly had connected over the last few months. She said that she’s learned in life if someone does something that has impacted you in a positive way, you should let them know. So she wanted to bring it to my attention.
After she left, and I reflected back to her visit, it hit me that on all of the days, this message came to me on American Thanksgiving. A day where we give thanks for all that we have and all that we are. How many other days throughout the year do you go out of your way to let people know how thankful you are of them? Has anyone come to you with a similar situation to thank you for something that you’ve done for them? How many times throughout the day do you have the ability to impact our fellow humans? Do you jump at the chance or do you let it slide? As we wind down the year 2020, one that will go down in the history books, make sure you take a moment to thank those who have touched your life. Yes we have so many negative things to say about this year, but I have no doubt if you sit to reflect you will find some positives as well. Happy Wednesday my friends!
A little ditty about Jack and Diane...no really in all seriousness I'm a daughter, sister, wife and mother. I'm a Greek-American, who has transplanted in Canada. As a first time mom I'm sharing some things as I go along.
As a child growing up tomorrow was such a huge day. It was Thanksgiving, a day where you would gather with your family and friends and feast over food for hours. There would be laughter, some yelling (we’re Greek after all) and hours of being together. As someone whose entire family is in Greece, we were fortunate enough to have been “adopted” into a couple of families by my father’s cousin. Both sides were pretty big so these events had tons of people crammed into two or three rooms. The men in one room, the kids running around everywhere and the women usually in the kitchen making sure everyone was happy. And we were. We didn’t have the latest toys, we didn’t have much of anything but we had each other and really that is all that mattered.
This year your Thanksgiving dinner will probably look a little different thanks to Covid 19. There may be less people around your table and more people on your computer screen. Remember whatever the festivities look like, this year more than ever to take a moment to give thanks for all that you have. It is so easy to be mad at all that we’ve lost this year or that this pandemic has taken from us. But give thanks for all that you have and all that you are. Today isn’t about the biggest turkey, the most food on the table or the biggest gathering. It is about the love in your heart and what you do with it every day of the year.
Happy Thanksgiving my American Friends! Let me know what are you thankful for this year??
A little ditty about Jack and Diane...no really in all seriousness I'm a daughter, sister, wife and mother. I'm a Greek-American, who has transplanted in Canada. As a first time mom I'm sharing some things as I go along.
Well as I recently celebrated another year around the sun it is time reflect. 2020 oh what a year you have been. As I sit back and think about the last year let’s be real, calling it a dumpster fire will be using a kind term. Not only were we all dealing with the Covid 19 pandemic and the repercussions of that, but personally, my year was filled with various medical issues that were presented to people close to me. I missed out on so many events, trips, special events and really what about the overall mental drain this put on all of us.
So rather than going on and on about everything that sucked and God knows I can fill a few pages of that, I’ve decided to focus on the positives. I am grateful for the time I got with my family. My husband was out of work many, many months due to our province being in various stages of lockdown because of the pandemic. Along with him being home, our kiddo was home since schools were closed. Throw in some online learning, missed graduations, recitals, birthday parties and my gosh it wasn’t easy but we somehow got through it. We grew as individuals and as a family. We learned to appreciate each other even when we were working through our own feelings of the fear of the unknown. God knows there is no parenting book on how to raise a child during a pandemic, or if I’m wrong and there is one, it was probably sold out with all of the toilet paper!
According to the encyclopedia Britannica middle age is considered anything between the ages of 40 and 60. So being in this “middle age” phase of life I’m grateful for my health. I am able to wake up each and every morning and put on my pants one foot at at time still. Yes there may be more aches and pains than there have been in previous years but what we don’t realize as we’re going through life is that we do a number on our body. It isn’t until one day we sneeze and throw out our backs (figuratively speaking not literally) that we’re like oh crap!
I’m grateful for technology. It is hard when your family is not close by. To be able to FaceTime my parents, see my brother’s family including my nephews growing up even when I can’t physically be there is huge. For the memes sent by a friend at 5am as she heads out to workout or the check in text at 10:30pm because she was thinking about you. This pandemic has brought us closer together even though it is keeping us apart.
I’m grateful for the sun shining. Yup I know that sounds cliché but there is something special about those fall days where the sun is still hot enough to warm you up. When I’m waiting to pick up the kid and the wind lets down for a bit and the sun hits your face and a feeling of calm comes over you. It is as if mother earth is telling you, I got you, we’re okay.
So as my brother reminds me, I’ve entered my 29th year again (plus, plus) and I am going to use the life experiences I have acquired to take this year head on. After what has been thrown at me in 2020, I know that I can take on whatever comes my way.
A little ditty about Jack and Diane...no really in all seriousness I'm a daughter, sister, wife and mother. I'm a Greek-American, who has transplanted in Canada. As a first time mom I'm sharing some things as I go along.
With Canadian Thanksgiving being earlier this week there is so much to be grateful for this year. From my family, to our health, to our friends and everything else that comes along with being over half a year into a pandemic. If living during these times does nothing, it helps you realize what is important and what truly matters. As I was perusing through Instagram one day a few different people I followed were reiterating what a good friend of mine told me a few months ago. You should take some time to quiet your brain, to focus and start your day with gratitude. For someone whose mind races a lot and tends to be go, go, go, that’s hard. I wake up on some mornings with good intentions but life happens. Today I had a moment. I had dropped off my child to school and was walking back to my car. Usually I’m looking down and am rushing to the car. Today I happened to look up. Sometimes you need to take that moment and look up. Stop, whatever it may be you’re doing and focus on the gratitude in you heart. Today I am grateful.
A little ditty about Jack and Diane...no really in all seriousness I'm a daughter, sister, wife and mother. I'm a Greek-American, who has transplanted in Canada. As a first time mom I'm sharing some things as I go along.
Sorry for not writing recently. As you can tell by my posts I write about recent happenings in our lives. Well the last few weeks have been busy to say the least. The little lady and I (along with my mother in law) went on a road trip to Illinois to visit my best friend from the first grade. We have birthdays just days apart and this one was what I call a milestone birthday. It ended in a -0. Since I knew we couldn’t be together for our birthdays we planned a trip so we could spend some time together. She has three little ones and mine makes four so needless to say the crazy days of partying and staying up all night weren’t happening unless someone with ten little fingers and toes was keeping us up.
It was wonderful to see Amanda and her family. During the 10 hour drive back, after having said our goodbyes it got me thinking about friendship and what it really is/means. I am an outgoing person. I am a person who knows a lot of people, or rather because of my unique name, a lot of people know me. I have an amazing group of friends and acquaintances. What does it mean to have a friend to you? To me these are the people I lean on the most. The people I confide in or am able to share a laugh or tear with. These are the people that you know, no matter what, will be by your side through it all. I’ve had the opportunity to have this friend by my side through so many amazing events. We saw each other through the high school years (big hair, puffy prom dresses, basketball games and cheering meets). We saw each other struggle and soar as we made our way through college/university. I recall the last night of my freshman year and something about an exam the next day. Being there when our respective courtships began and seeing the other so happy and in love. Standing by each others side as maid of honor during the happiest day of our lives. Listening and laughing as we went through our pregnancies at the thought of the unknown. Seeing those baby smiles for the first time and knowing that this has changed each one of us forever. And finally having our kids meet for the first time, secretly hoping they got along. Seeing how good her children were with mine (they’re older and sent an amazing example) and seeing how mine could hang with their crew.
Through all of this I couldn’t help but feel grateful. Grateful that I had this amazing friend by my side through it all. Grateful that our husbands and kids get along. Grateful that we may have started a second generation of BFFs.
A little ditty about Jack and Diane...no really in all seriousness I'm a daughter, sister, wife and mother. I'm a Greek-American, who has transplanted in Canada. As a first time mom I'm sharing some things as I go along.
