HeatherKatsoulis.com

I really like the holiday of Thanksgiving. No, not because of the food (my husband has something to say about that here: Snapping Out of the Thanksgiving Eating Trance), although, I do love the food, but because it is still fairly non-commercial and reminds everyone to be grateful for the blessings in their life. It’s some mainstream yogic philosophy – except the food binging.

© John Pritchett

Ok, here is what we will be eating for our vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner:
Vegetarian Thanksgiving Menu including my all-time favorite VegetarianCornbread, ‘Sausage,’ Apple, & Pecan Stuffing Recipe and this award winning Vegetarian Mushroom Thyme Gravy.

And our napkins may turn out like this:

Turkey Napkin Folding Instructions

And, of course, will be baking Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. Oh, they are just so good. Guests usually take some home. Speaking of, here are some more great Pumpkin Recipes.

Anywho, I hope you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I am lucky, blessed, really.

Each day I

• wake up to the sweetest alarm: my almost 4 year old daughter
• enjoy a calm, un-rushed healthy breakfast with my whole family at the dining room table
• work from home on my dream career: children’s photographer
• am grateful for free part-time childcare from my parents and mother-in-law
• eat a natural, whole foods, vegetarian dinner with my whole family at the dining room table
• relax in my cozy home
• read stories and snuggle with my daughter
• go to sleep next to the love of my life in an always cozy bed

In addition, each Wednesday is family day with Jim and Syna.

Each Friday night is date night with my husband. (We’ve been together for 19 years.)

Each Saturday is family date night with Jim and Syna.

Each Sunday is family breakfast with my dad’s family (whoever decides to show – 4-15 people)

I have nothing to complain about. Truly. And I worry about others. Most of the world doesn’t have it nearly as good as I do. I feel extravagant, even when I appreciate what I have and do what I can to minimize my impact on the planet.

We’ve downsized to 1 car, we got rid of cable television, we compost our food waste (and it’s most of it since we’re vegetarian) and recycle to the extent that our family of 3 “throws out” 1 grocery bag of trash per week, we telecommute, we used cloth diapers for our daughter, we bring our own reusable bags to stores and purchase items with limited packaging, we switched our heating system to a high efficiency solution, we shower every other day… We’re conscious of many of our decisions.

And yet we use so much. We have so much. We are never even uncomfortable. We have heat in the winter, air conditioning in the summer, food available 24/7, constant electricity, transportation, money, instant communication devices, we’re safe. Even on the coldest/hottest days, if I travel, I walk 30′ outdoors to my garage protected car, start it up, turn on the heat/air and I’m comfortably on my way.

It has long been my belief that to truly help others I must start with myself.

To put the world in order, we must put the nation in order.
To put the nation in order, we must put the family in order.
To put the family in order, we must nurture our personal life.
To cultivate our personal life, we must first set our hearts right.
- Confucius

But it doesn’t seem like enough when I have so much. And, really, it’s all by luck I ended up being born into my situation.

“There is no way to happiness; happiness is the way.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh

How do I stay happy when I am aware of so much suffering?

Syna just finished up her first semester of Music Together – the Bells Collection. She loved it and really wants to do the next session – Triangles starting in April. If you have children, I highly recommend this class.

Music Together is an internationally recognized early childhood music program for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, kindergarteners, and the adults who love them. First offered to the public in 1987, it pioneered the concept of a research-based, developmentally appropriate early childhood music curriculum that strongly emphasizes and facilitates adult involvement.

Learn more about Music Together

My daughter, Syna, singing “Two Little Kitty Cats” from Music Together’s Bells Collection CD:

some fall fun today
Mike’s Maze