Posted in Fantasy Romance, Holiday, tagged Book Sale, mellie miller, Smashwords, Thanksgiving on November 26, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Yes, it is that time of year again, though it hardly seems possible. So to all my American friends out there, I wish you a very happy and peaceful Thanksgiving.
Looking for something to read over the weekend? Go to my Smashwords profile page and look for the sale! All my books are on sale, and three are FREE!
Wishing you all a most peaceful and restful day.
Posted in Reflections, Uncategorized, tagged holiday memories, holiday traditions, mellie miller, Thanksgiving, writing on November 27, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Growing up in farm country, preparation for Thanksgiving began late in September or early in October. There were rum cakes to make, and they needed about 6 weeks to get fully soused. And we made cakes for about half the county, I think, besides the ones we made for our family.
And then there was the fudge… Nobody, it seemed, could follow the recipe my mother gave out, so they all came back begging for various sorts in time for Thanksgiving. With a sigh, she began the multiple batches of fudge, from several different chocolate fudges, white fudge and divinity fudge. The house smelled wonderful, but even I, the original chocoholic, got tired of the scent of chocolate.
A few days before Thanksgiving, the pies began coming out of the oven. Everybody had a favorite, so the scents of pumpkin, apple, mince meat, and elderberry wafted through the house.
And where would we be without spice cake and home made bread? We had two ovens in the kitchen and we kept them going for days before the holidays.
Thanksgiving morning had a special tradition at our house. Dad, my sister, Linda, and I got up early, dressed warmly and headed out to the fields to go pheasant hunting. In northern Ohio, there was usually snow on the ground and the weeds along the fences sparkled in the morning sunlight. The snow crunched and squeaked beneath our boots and our breath became little puffs of fog as we walked along.
Once in a while we actually scared up a pheasant, but mostly it was just special time with Dad. He’d talk about the various trees in the woods and fence rows and how to identify them by their bark. Or he’d tell old family stories about growing up in Tennessee in the early 1900’s.
By around 11:00, we’d be back in the house, by the fire, drinking coffee or hot cocoa. Then we girls would join Mom in the kitchen to put the finishing touches on dinner before guests began to arrive. The smells from the ovens was inviting and all the baked goods displayed in the dining room just begged to be tasted as we set the table.
Thanksgiving dinner was a wonderful time to be together with family and friends. The food was always exquisite, the company warm and jovial. But to me, the magic of Thanksgiving was that early morning stroll through the countryside with Dad, pheasants or no pheasants.
Wishing you all the best this Thanksgiving Day. Share your traditions with us. Together we can build new memories.
Posted in Reflections, Uncategorized, tagged gratitude, holidays, mellie miller, Thanksgiving on November 28, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Wishing you a day filled with love, laughter, joy and gratitude.
I wanted to share this information on gratitude with you, from the folks at Mindvalley.
Enjoy!
http://mindvalleyacademy.com/featured/power-gratitude-thanksgiving
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Posted in Reflections, Uncategorized, Yahoo articles, tagged holidays, mellie miller, Thanksgiving, Yahoo articles on November 24, 2013| 1 Comment »
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to reflect back on the year. What can we be thankful for this year? What can we look forward to in the year to come?
I have two articles on the Yahoo Contributor Network on Thanksgiving. Go on over and take a peek at them.
http://voices.yahoo.com/thanksgiving-traditions-12386883.html?cat=47
http://voices.yahoo.com/have-we-forgotten-thanksgiving-12408573.html?cat=37
Have a wonderfully happy Thanksgiving this year.
Posted in Reflections, Uncategorized, tagged gratitude, holidays, mellie miller, Thanksgiving on November 22, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Face it. As soon as we say good-bye to Halloween, everything looks forward to Christmas. For that matter, many of the big stores are beginning to stock for Christmas as soon as Labor Day has passed.
Are we forgetting Thanksgiving? Can’t each and every one of us find at least one thing to be thankful for this season?
For more of my musings on the subject, follow this link for my article on Thanksgiving.
http://voices.yahoo.com/have-we-forgotten-thanksgiving-12408573.html?cat=37
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, everyone!
A piu tardi…
Posted in Reflections, Uncategorized, tagged gratitude, holidays, mellie miller, reflections, Thanksgiving on November 15, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Halloween has passed and stores are packed with Christmas decorations and gift ideas.
What happened to Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving is a time to step back for a moment, with family and friends, and think about our blessings during the past year. What events have given us insight or brought us joy since last Thanksgiving?
I think a lot of people rush past Thanksgiving simply because it lacks the excitement and glamour of Christmas. There are no pretty colored lights adorning the sidewalks, no snowmen or snowflakes on the storefront windows, and no beautifully decorated trees in stores or homes.
I actually heard one of our daughters step-daughters ask what the big deal was with Thanksgiving. After all, you don’t get gifts or anything. It’s just dinner.
Has our society become so selfish that unless there is something to gain, there’s no reason to celebrate? If we don’t get gifts, it’s a pointless exercise?
I would like to see our department and grocery stores spend a little time, at least, on Thanksgiving. Why can’t we have displays of table decorations for Thanksgiving featuring cornucopias, autumn leaves, and harvest themes?
How about gratitude journals, even small card-sized ones, to list what we’re grateful for this year and what we’re looking forward to in the year to come?
Yes, Halloween is fun with all the costumes and decorations. Christmas is a beautiful time of year with all the symbolism of the season and presents for family and friends.
But let’s not forget Thanksgiving. Let’s not forget to be thankful for what we have, what we’ve been given. Don’t rush from and evening of parties and dress-up to what-did-I-get-for-Christmas.
Take a moment to reflect on what you’ve been given throughout the year. Not monetarily, but in life experience, friendship, health, and abundance.
Maybe this hasn’t been a particularly abundant year for you in terms of your bank account. The economy hasn’t been great. But if you have family, friends, a roof over your head, and food on your table, you can give thanks.
Halloween has come and gone and Christmas is on the way. But let’s not neglect Thanksgiving. Let’s make time to slow down a little, take a break, and reflect on our blessings this year.
Have a wonderful and bountiful Thanksgiving.
Posted in Reflections, Uncategorized, tagged give thanks, reflect, reflection, reflections, thanks, Thanksgiving on November 21, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Thanksgiving, a day for thanks and reflection, was always our family’s big day to get together and catch up on all the news from those we hadn’t had time to visit during the year. It was our time to get together with cousins from around the state and talk about school and friends, what we were reading or sports we played. Our aunts and uncles remarked on how grown up everyone was since last year. Just a day to relax and touch base with the rest of the tribe, so to speak, and reflect on all those things which allowed us the time to come together once again.
After everyone has gone back to their homes, we reflected on those things we have in common, as well as those differences which keep us interesting to each other. We also think about the triumphs and trials of those in our little circle and celebrate those things for which we give thanks. For those who have triumphed, we are thankful for their success. For those who are struggling, we send our encouragement and prayers to help them with their journey.
How much of this has been forgotten in our fast track world of today? I’ve heard very little this year about Thanksgiving and what it means. But I’ve heard a lot about Black Friday and all the shopping everyone has to do. I’ve seen all the Christmas decorations and gift items for sale all over town since Halloween. There’s Christmas music playing in all the stores.
Yes, we all seem eager to get to the shops so we can run each other down to get the last item on our Christmas list, just a day after we should have been giving thanks for what we already have. Can’t we spend this one day showing our gratitude for what we already have before we go to buy even more?
We need to take the time for reflection, to meditate on what we’ve accomplished throughout the year. What do we have for which we should give thanks? A lot of people have lost jobs, taken pay cuts or had companies go out of business. But as one of my favorite childhood heroes, John Carter of Mars said, “We still live!” And according to Cicero, “While there’s life, there’s hope.”
I’m a breast cancer survivor and one of the sayings that kept me going was, “Never give up; never surrender.” It may be from a corny movie, Galaxy Quest, but it was one of my anchors in the chemotherapy sea which was trying to drown me. Another anchor, less elegant than the first was, “Don’t let the bastard win.” And everyday I gave thanks for waking up alive one more time.
So for those of you who have those things you need, give thanks for them and reflect on what made them possible for you and yours. And those of you who are struggling, reflect on the path which led you in this direction and look for a turning point. Reflect on your choices and ask for guidance. Give thanks for life, friends, family, whatever you have that is good.
What am I reflecting on? My husband will be home for Thanksgiving this year. We can share our reflections with our daughter and three of our grandsons, along with dinner and a smorgasbord of desserts. I am thankful for good health, a home and dear, dear friends who brighten my darker days.
And I am reflecting on life itself. The miracle of life which I can still enjoy.
Thanksgiving is a time for reflection. Take a look in the mirror, your reflection in the water of a nice clear lake, the mirror of your mind, even a crystal ball. Whatever you use, take the time to take stock of this year, where you started, how far you’ve come and what path you see for your future.
And give thanks.
Piu tardi amici
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