Today marks the start of the 11th month of 2024. The season of gratitude, Thanksgiving, lingering leaves that eventually descend, reducing trees to barren branches. The first freeze often happens in November, and the frigid morning air is welcome against my face.
I have always loved October through December. Though we New Yorkers complain miserably about the wild weather changes, there is excitement about the crisp air and cloudy skies. For most of us in the northeast, we will receive the first significant snowfall in November.
There are stronger traditions in these last months of the year than any other for us as a family. This autumn season is an unusual one. As an empty-nest-mid-lifer, traditions already flexed once the kids left for college. Instead of chopping down the Christmas tree the first days of December, there were years we waited until the week before Christmas to ensure everyone was present in the forest.
Then, when two children relocated, then relocated back home, other traditions had to be altered. We needed to be flexible, and on rare occasions, a few traditions were missed altogether to accommodate new circumstances and beloved new people in our tiny clan. It’s my belief that traditions make us feel welcome, loved and remain a steady in a world anything but. I will stand strong for the family traditions to continue once we are resettled into our eventual new home.
Just two days away, November 3rd at 2am is the end of daylight savings. I love the “fall back” extra hour of sleep, but dread the dark 4:30pm skies.
The highlight of November is Thanksgiving. In the last couple decades, Thanksgiving has officially become the overlooked holiday by most, since Christmas decorating and shopping advertisements have been in front of us since July. Thanksgiving gets one shelf in a store and Christmas gets half the entire retail space. While I love everything-Christmas and definitely start collecting gifts by late October, I want to be intentional about gratitude. Not just on November 28th, but all month long.
This month, I’ll be posting not 100%-silent Silent Sundays and Thankful Thursdays. Texas Tuesdays will continue, but won’t be weekly.
Thank you for sharing your time with me on this Friday…I wish you a relaxing weekend and blessed November.
Tales from a Mid-Lifer 
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