Thanksgiving Treasures

As if 2020 hasn't been strange enough, Thanksgiving is going to be very different for so many people. A small family dinner will replace the large gatherings ... shopping online will reveal the biggest 'door-buster' deals ... And there will be no time off for our heroic healthcare workers and first responders. Thank you, for all you do! With so much uncertainty around us, we hope to make this quiet Thanksgiving a day filled with Gratitude for the Everyday Treasures that surround us.

With Covid numbers increasing and states starting to issue travel advisories, we decided that it would be safest to just stay put for a few weeks. What a treasure to be able to secure a spot for a month at Far Horizons RV Resort in Tucson. Our travel buddies, Joanne and Gary are spending the winter here and invited us to check it out. We are grateful that the abundance of sunshine makes outdoor activities like hiking, biking, pickleball, and happy hours 'safer' with our new masked amigas.

While the pandemic shortened our stay in Colombia this past winter, we are grateful for the treasure of being able to stay in touch and continue to practice our Spanish through our weekly Colombian Conversation Club. This group meets online every Wednesday afternoon using the Microsoft Teams application. Lead by our friend Francisco, the group usually consists of about eight people in Medellin who want to practice their English and us who sorely need to improve our Spanish. Each week we have a different topic, and participants present some sort of information, story, or video on the topic. We enjoy some lively discussions, make new friends, and learn to appreciate the colorful similarities and differences of lifestyles and cultures around the world.

Since we don't have a permanent house, we are grateful for the treasure of the views from our ever-changing homes. From pines to sequoias to saguaros ... we appreciate whatever beautiful, low-maintenance backyard scenery happens to pop up outside Baby Beest's door.

My kitchen is small, my pantry lacks the space to store a lot of ingredients, and there is no oven to produce fresh baked cookies. But what a treasure to see Doug's smile as he enjoys a gigantic 'fresh from the oven' chocolate chip cookie from The Cookie Cabin. We stumbled across this gem along with some great hiking trails on Mount Lemmon which is 4000 feet higher and a tad bit cooler than Tucson.

While we may not be the fastest bikers, we are grateful for the treasure of 'slow rides' that allow us to enjoy the scenery along the way. From lakes to mountains to deserts, our slower biking pace allows us to take in all the beauty on the side of the trails.

With our vagabond lifestyle, opportunities to spend time with our sons become even more precious. We are grateful that 'holidays' can be celebrated any day of the year, and that we can stay connected through Instagram. We love their entertaining videos of our grand-puppies! 

And especially during these challenging times, I am grateful for my travel partner. Doug is my 'home fix-it' man who can handle any problem that comes his way. He is my planner who can figure out how to stay safe while still continuing to travel. And most importantly, he is my constant example of how how to live a simple yet RVenturous life. He is who I thought of when I came upon the quote ...

Gratitude turns what we have into more than enough.

Wishing you a Thanksgiving filled with 'more than enough' happiness with those very special people who you love to hang out with every day of the year!

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